The Legend of Rune: Brightest Night, Darkest Day
by Deeth Irteen
Summary: Part 3. Bergan and the Victiumirti are wreaking havoc on the world. Runefor is running loose, and Tyrrany has gone into hiding. Will evil prevail? And just what is, "The Nothing"? Rated M for Mature themes and Violence
1. Prologue

Prologue

Many years ago, somewhere in the Floating Plains…

It was midday.

Five young dragons stood on one of the many floating islands on the floating plains. Far to the North and Far to the South, two great armies were heading towards each other. The Southern army was led by Hyperion, King of Clan Capricorn. And the other army, which was fast approaching from the North, was led by The White Monster. Runileon the Wicked.

Three of the five young dragons were Hyperion's three sons: Valchen, Umbra and Urobos. These three, like their father, were Black dragons. Each of them had a silver underbelly, a matching silver mane, and glowing blue birthmarks on their front upper legs. However, that's where the similarities ended.

Urobos was eighteen years old, and the oldest of the three by about a year. He was tallest, with blue-green eyes, a neatly-groomed mane, and two grey horns that pointed backwards. Valchen was shorter than Urobos, but more muscular in stature, with golden eyes and three grey horns, all of which shot out like lightning bolts. His mane was wilder than Urobos's, and he had a small bit grey hair growing on his chin. Umbra was the shortest of the three, although not by a lot. He had six grey horns: two larger ones on his head that pointed backwards, and four smaller ones that grew out of his lower jaw. He had golden eyes, like Valchen, and a well-kept mane, similar to Urobos.

The other two young dragons were Prince Alexander and Princess Catherine, the children of Runileon the Wicked. Both of them had dark grey hides, silver underbellies, glowing red birthmarks on their sides, pitch black manes, and blood red eyes, the eyes of their father. Alexander was seventeen years old, and much broader than his sister. He had five large silver horns on his head, which curved around his head. Catherine was the same age, and had four horns: two larger ones that were bent at downward angles at the back of her head, and two smaller ones that were shaped like tusks on her lower jaw.

"Runileon's army will be arriving soon." Urobos said. He looked around at his four companions. "Are you guys ready for this?"

"I'm about as ready as I'll ever be." Valchen replied, grinning.

"We came this far to put a stop to Father." Catherine added. "There's no turning back now."

"How much longer until they arrive?" Umbra asked.

"Not long…" Alexander answered.

The five dragons waited for Runileon's army to arrive.

A few months ago, Alexander and Catherine left their home in the mountains of Inferdus with the hopes of getting their father Runileon to stop his campaign of death. However, the White dragon didn't even listen to their words. And when they continued to pester him, their efforts only went downhill from there. It was clear that Runileon didn't even value their lives.

So, the prince and princess of Clan Aries left their home in search of someone who could help them put a stop to Runileon's scheme of ethnic cleansing. Eventually, they met King Hyperion and his three sons, who were more than happy to lend them their aid. As a descendant of The Great Shadow, Hyperion believed it was his duty to maintain balance in the world. The Black dragon had did his best to teach his sons this philosophy, although only Urobos took it to heart.

When Hyperion learned that Runileon was bringing his forces to attack the Floating Plains, the Black dragon King prepared his army to launch a counter-attack. He Black King didn't want Alexander or Catherine to get involved in the slaying of their father, so he ordered his sons to take the two and flee. However, Urobos and his brothers wanted to help Alexander and Catherine put an end to their father's campaign. So, when they left to escort the two away from the Floating Plains, they secretly turned and flew north, to a point where the two armies were most likely meet.

"Father's going to be furious with us, Alex." Catherine said sadly. Her brother sighed.

"That doesn't matter, Cat." Responded. "That man barely even acknowledged we existed. Why should we care what he thinks of us putting a stop to him?"

"Well, he _is_ your father.." Urobos replied.

"Bullshit. He may be our _parent_, but he's not our _father_!"

"If you say so…"

The five dragons stood at the ready, hidden from view, and waiting for Runileon's army to arrive.

They had a plan. Since Runileon was the one controlling the forces, if he was slain first, then the hold on the Aries dragons' minds would be removed. The problem was getting to the White dragon in the first place. So, the five dragons decided to hide on one of the islands and wait for most of Runileon's army to fly past them. Then, when the White dragon flew past them, they could launch a sneak attack. It wasn't fool proof, and it wasn't going to be easy, but it was the best they could do.

And so, they waited. For a while, nothing came. And then..

Off in the distance, the sound of several hundred creatures flying through the air was getting louder and louder. when the young dragons turned to look at the approaching army, they were shocked and amazed.

Runileon's army was flying south across the Floating Plains, heading towards The Crux that was further down the Plains. And it wasn't just dragons in the army: about several thousand hideous black creatures was flying alongside the Aries dragons. The monsters were half bird and half reptile in appearance.

"What are _those_ things?" Umbra asked, bewildered.

"Those are monsters that father created to serve him." Catherine answered. "He calls them 'Crepsculi'."

"Do you think _our_ father's army will be able to handle them?" Valchen asked Urobos.

"I don't know.." The eldest prince answered, "But this doesn't bode well."

The five young dragons watched awestruck as the massive army passed around the island they were hiding on. They were like a massive swarm of Black and Grey hornets, flying across the Plains with great speed. Spotting among their would be more than easy to accomplish...

After about a few minutes, the five dragons finally spotted Runileon. The great White dragon was a nightmare to behold.

Runileon had a blood red underbelly, with a great, muscular build. He had blood red eyes, and a mane that was black as coal. Five broad silver horns decorated his head, and two more tusklike horns grew out of his lower jaw. the Aries symbols glowed a bright Red on his sides.

But most frightening of all was his size. Runileon had used the power of Purple Gems to greatly enhance his size. He was easilly a giant among men: A normal fully grown male seemed to be a mear cub in comparison.

The Great White dragon flew forwards in the center of his great army, flying right over the young dragons' heads, competely oblivious to their presence.

Urobos fought to keep his fear in check as he charged Magical energy into his mouth. After this, there would be no turning back...

_Here goes..._

As Runileon passed over him, Urobos unleashed a blast of Blood Lightning at the Giant, striking him across his underbelly.

The Great White dragon roared in pain and rage. He came to a stop in midair, turning to see who or what attacked him. Urobos and the others flew out of their hiding spot and hovered before him, ready to fight. Runileon growled in rage, but stopped when he spotted his two children.

"Alexander and Cathererine..." He sneered. "What are you two doing here?"

Catherine hid behind Alexander, while the Aries Prince took in a deep breath before responding to his father.

"We've come to stop you, father." He said coldly.

"Your days of slaughtering innocent lives has come to an end." Valchen added. Runileon sneered.

"You two are wasting you time." He said coldly. "Turn and leave, right now."

"No, father!" Alexander exclaimed angrilly. "We're putting a stop to all of this!"

"You would dare to defy me? You own father!"

"YES!" Alexander bellowed, teeth beared. Runileon growled.

"Then so be it!"

The Great White dragon raised his head to shout to his many minions, who had stopped to watch the spectacle.

"CONTINUE ON TO THE CENTER OF THE FLOATING PLAINS!" He roared. "I'LL HANDLE THESE MAGGOTS PERSONALLY!"

Right after he finished speaking, Runileon immediately tilted his head back down to face the young dragons and charged at them, unleashing a blast of Convexity breath. Thie five dragons quickly dodged out of the way, flying around the attacking Giant.

The five young dragons flew all around Runileon, the two Aries heirs trying to get close enough to unleash their Pain element, and the three Capricorn heirs striking from afar with various elemental blasts. The Great White dragon rampaged after them, going back and forth between trying to swipe at the young dragons with is talons and blasting them with blasts of Convexity.

During the battle, Catherine tried to sneak up on her father to stab him in the side. However, when Runileon turned his head to attack Umbra, the Great White dragon spotted her. He quickly turned in midair and swiped a talon at her, cutting a deep gash in her right wing membrane.

The dragoness shrieked in pain as she plummeted out of the air.

"CAT!" Urobos exclaimed. The black dragon immediately flew after the wounded girl. Runileon flew after him, firing blasts of Convexity at the young dragons.

Urobos managed to grab hold of Catherine and steer in a curve to evade Runileon and his attacks. The Great White dragon roared in rage as he flew past. Valchen, Umbra and Alexander chased after the giant.

Urobos flew back up to the small Island and sat Catherine down on it.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm okay." Catherine said. "I used my Magic to numb the stinging."

with her Pain element to heal the wound.

Before they could finish, however, Runileon suddenly came flying back up into view. The Great White dragon spun around in midair and fired a blast of Convexity at the two grounded dragons. Urobos pushed Catherine out of the way of the attack.

Before he could get out of the way himself, however, the Convexity beam struck Urobos's side. The black dragon yelped in pain as the attack ripped through him.

"UROBOS!" Catherine screamed.

Suddenly, Umbra and Alexander charged at Runileon, the former firing a blast of Blood Lightning and the Latter stabbing Runileon's hind legs with his talons, unleashing a blast of Pain into the White dragon's body. Runileon writhed in agony.

While the other dragons battled the Great White dragon, Valchen came to a landing beside Urobos and started using his Water magic to heal his brother. Catherine lended her aid.

"You alright, bro?" Valchen asked. Urobos slowly stood back up.

"I'm fine..." He answered weakly. "We need to get back into the fight!"

"You're too weak, Urobos." Catherins said. "Just sit this out for now."

"No way!" Urobos protested. "We _all_ need to fight!"

"You sure about that?" Valchen asked.

"Of course I-!"

Suddenly, Umbra and Alexander were sent hurtling over the other young dragons and crashing onto the ground a short distance away. Alexander was covered in claw marks.

The others turned to see Runileon hovering nearby. His body was glowing with Purple energy. Valchen gasped.

"He's about to use a FURY!" He screamed.

The young dragons grabbed theri weakened comrades and tried to fly away as Runileon charged after them, glowing brighter and brighter. Once the Great White dragon got up close to the younger dragons, Runileon unleashed his Convexity Fury.

As the Purple energy exploded outwards, it tore through the Island as if it was made of paper. the young dragons werent' able to fly far enough to avoid getting hit by the attack, but they _did_ manage to get far enough to avoid having the Convexity tear right through them.

Nonetheless, the floating island was torn to pieces, and the five young dragons plummeted out of the sky, hurtling towards the Ocean below.

Urobos and the others struggle to regain control of themselves before they violently crashed into the Ocean. Massive chunks of the destroyed Island flew along with them. The whole time, Runileon charged downwards after them, shouting at his two children.

"I'LL BET YOU TWO ARE WISHING THAT YOU FLED WHEN I GAVE YOU THE CHANCE!" He bellowed. "IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU **NOW**!"

Urobos, Valchen and Catherine managed to get back in control of themselves. Alexander and Umbra, however continued plummeting.

"ALEX!" Catherine screamed in alarm.

"UMBRA!" Valchen screamed at the same time.

Catherine and Valchen picked up their pace to catch up to their weakened comrades. When Runileon saw this, he charged forwards as well to chase after them, rushing right past Urobos. The lone black dragon followed suit, careful to stay hiddin behind Runileon.

Catherine and Valchen managed to grab hold of their respective siblings and swerve out of the way of falling chunks of rock. They flew towards a distant beach which lied to the West, Runileon and Urobos in hot pursuit.

The Great White dragon attacked with a barrage of Convexity blasts, tyring his hardest to strike the smaller dragons. Urobos charged magic allover his body, but didn't attack just yet.

_I've got to find the right moment.._

When the other four young dragons got close to the beach, Runileon finally managed to hit one of them with a Convexity blast. The attack struck Catherine's tail, tearing the end of it off. The princess screamed, dropping Alexander and crashing into the ocean water just a few feet away from the beach in the process. The two Aries dragons hollered in agony as the salt water stung their bleeding wounds.

Valchen flew down to the beach, dropped Umbra on the sand, and immediately turned around to help his screaming companions. However, Runileon flew towards him, smacked him aside with a talon, and turned to face his children. The Great White dragon snatched up the prince and princess in one paw and held them before him. Valchen and Umbra struggled to get back up, while Urobos stood floating in the air, waiting for the right time to strike.

As Runileon started crushing his son and daughter, Catherine started begging for her life.

"Father, stop, PLEASE!" She pleaded, tears pouring from her face.

"You honestly expect me to spare the lives of two TRAITORS?" The Great White dragon bellowed.

"I'm sorry!"

"Sorry that you dared to try to slay ME?"

Runileon crushed Alexander and Catherine even _more_. They screamed in agony, too distracted to use their Pain magic to heal themselves. Urobos quickly yet silently teleported around the area to face Runileon's back. If he was going to strike, it had to be now. He flew towards the Great White dragon, preparing to use the most powerful energy at his command, something that he and his brothers had only just recently learned to control: Convexity.

Urobos planned on striking Runileon with a Convexity Fury. It would drain every last bit of his Magical energy, so he had to get the right moment to use it.

The young black dragon flew up to the Great White dragon's back, and prepared to unleash the energy...

However, something happened that he didn't expect.

As Urobos flew towards the Great White dragon, Catherine flashed her gaze towards the black dragon for a moment. Runileon noticed this, and turned to look at Urobos, surprising the black dragon. Runileon opened his mouth and fired a Convexity blast at Urobos, forcing the black dragon to give up his planned attack and dodge out of the way.

As Urobos was distracted, Runileon struck him by tossing Alexander and Catherine at him. All three young dragons fell to the ground and collapsed on the sand below.

As the three young dragons writhed in pain, Runileon approached them. All the while, Catherine begged for her life.

"Father...I'm sorry..." She said, tears pouring from her eyes.

"SILENCE, TRAITOR!" He bellowed, frightening all three of the young dragons. Runileon lifted a forepaw, preparing to crush the them. "THIS IS WHERE YOU ALL DIE FOR YOU INSOLENCE!"

The three young dragons seemed doomed. Runileon brought his paw downwards..

Suddenly, Umbra appeared in front of the Great White dragon's face, catching him off guard. The black dragon immediately fired a blast of Lightning into Runileon's left eye. The Great White dragon roared in pain and rage.

As Runileon was distracted, Valchen appeared over Urobos, Alexander and Catherine. He immediately used his magic to heal Urobos, and then both black dragons got to work healing Alexander and Catherine.

"How are we going to stop him?" Alexander exclaimed, slowly getting onto his feet. "He's too strong!"

"We'll have to use Convexity." Urobos said. "It's the only way!"

"You just might be right, bro." Valchen agreed.

The two black dragons turned to face Umbra and Runileon. The third black dragon was flying around the White Giant, who was snarling as he tried to swat him away. Umbra seemed to be trying to find the right moment to slash and claw at the Giant.

"Let's go!" Urobos shouted.

Immediately, the two black dragons took to flight, charging their Magic for the right moment. They started flying around Runileon as well.

As the three Capricorn heirs did this, Alexander proceeded to sneak up on his father. He thought that Catherine was following him for a moment, but when he turned back to face her, she was backing away from the battle. He turned around and went to confront her.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"He's too strong.." Catherine said sadly. "We aren't going to win, Alex."

"Of course we are!" Her brother snapped. "Don't give up so easily. We can do this."

But Catherine wasn't convinced. Alexander sighed.

"We'll beat him, Cat. Trust me."

Catherine looked away for a minute, deep in thought.

"Catherine?"

She then looked back at him, sighing.

"Alright, let's go." Alexander smiled.

The two Aries heirs turned around to face Runileon. When they did, they gasped in horror.

...

As the three black dragons charged their magic, Urobos had flown around Runileon and made a grab for the Giant's horns. The black dragon was the first one to finish charging his Fury, and was trying to grab hold of Runileon's head to damage him point blank.

However, before he could grab hold, Runileon swatted Urobos out of the air. the black dragon crashed onto the sand, struggling to get back up. Hie built up Fury energy vanished. Runileon then brought his paw downwards, attempting to slice the young dragon with his talons. Urobos tried to get away, but he was too weak.

Suddenly, Valchen flew in front of Urobos, taking the blow that was intended for him. The airborn black dragon hollered in agony as his torso and belly were torn asunder, flesh and blood spilling onto the sand.

"VALCHEN!" The other young dragons shouted.

The black dragon crashed onto the sand before his brother, bleeding profusely.

"NOOO!" Urobos screamed.

Runileon laughed at the sight.

"Pathetic!" He exclaimed.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Umbra screamed, attempting to claw at Runileon's face.

The Great White Dragon quickly turned and caught the black dragon's upper body between his jaws.

"NO!" Alexander shouted.

The Aries prince flew into the air, attemtping to attack his father. The Great White dragon turned and struck his son with his paw, sending the dark grey dragon hurtling away. All the while, Umbra struggled to break free of Runileon's grip, wildly clawing with all four limbs.

But it was no use.

Runileon proceeded to crush the young dragon's torso between his jaws, swinging his head back and forth to yank to increase the damage dealt. He then spat Umbra onto the sand next to Urobos and Valchen.

Runileon laughed at the sight of the mortally wounded black dragons.

"I'll leave you all to rot!" He shouted. Runileon then turned to face his two children. "No, to deal with you two!"

As Runileon walked off to face Alexander and Catherine, Urobos looked back and forth between Valchen and Umbra. His brothers were barely breathing.

"No..." Urobos said, horrified. "Valchen...Umbra...you can't be..."

"Urobos?.." Umbra managed to ask. The short black dragon slowly turned to look at his elder brother.

"Umbra!" Urobos shouted, struggling to get onto his feet. "You're alive!"

"Not for long..." his brother said sadly, coughing up blood.

"I'm dying too, bro..." Valchen added, also struggling to look at Urobos. Blood was pouring out of his mouth.

The eldest brother looked between his two dying siblings, tears in his eyes.

"I won't let you die!" Urobos shouted. He immediately set to work trying to heal his brothers with his Pain and Water elements.

"It's no use, bro.." Valchen said solemnly.

"We're far too broken to be saved." Umbra added.

"Don't say that!" Urobos yelled frantically. "You can' t die! YOU CAN'T!"

"Urobos, you're the only one who can stop Runileon now.." Umbra said.

"Take what's left of our energy..." Valchen pleaded. "Use it to..stop that monster.."

"But.." Urobos stammered. "But..."

"Urobos, please..."

Urobos shut his eyes, struggling to fight back tears. He didn't want to accept it, but his brothers were correct. "...Alright."

Urobos placed a forepaw on each of his brother's shoulders. They two dying black dragons started filling Urobos with every last ounce of Magical Energy they had. And after this, they filled Urobos with every last ounce of _Lifeforce_ they had.

As both Valchen and Umbra slipped away, they both said the same thing to Urobos.

"Goodbye, brother..."

And then, they were gone.

Urobos burst into tears at their loss.

"Goodbye..."

Urobos turned around and looked at Runileon. the Great White dragon was trying to swat Alexander and Catherine out of the air.

Urobos glared at the Great White dragon, snarling. He shook with rage. His body started glowing with Purple energy...

"DAMN YOU!" He screamed at Runileon.

Immediately, he eploded off the sand, flyng toward the Great White Dragon with impossible speed. He struck Runileon's torso with incredible force, knocking the Giant onto his back.

"WHAT?" Runileon bellowed in surprise.

Urobos came to a hard landing on Runileon's belly, stabbing the talons on all four of his paws deep into the Giant's flesh. the Giant roared in pain. Alexander and Catherine were both amazed and frightened with Urobos's newfound ferocity.

"PERISH!" Urobos roared at the top of his voice.

Almost immediately, Urobos unleashed a mighty Convexity Fury. The White dragon roared in agony as heis enitre body was completely engulfed in the Purple energy. Alexander and Catherine flew away to avoid getting hit indirectly.

...

When the Fury came to an end, both Urobos and Runileon were breathing heavily. The Giant's body was completely covered with rapidly bleeding wounds.

"Damn...you..." Runileon sneered, struggling to stay alive. Urobos removed his talons from Runileon's flesh and climbed off of the giant. Alexander and Catherine came to a landing next to their friend.

Catherine set to work using her magic to heal Urobos, while Alexander glared at his dying father.

"This is where you leave this world and go to the Underworld, father." Alexander said coldly.

"You will pay for your treason, Alexander.." Runileon hissed.

"Save it. You're slowly slipping away. What could you possibly do to harm us now?"

Runileon grinned evilly at his sone and daughter.

"A curse." The two Aries heirs became confused.

"A curse?" Catherine asked.

Suddenly, Runileon's eyes glowed Purple. And then, his entire body started glowing, shocking the three dragons.

"You may believe that I am the most Wicked White dragon that ever lived.." Runileon began, "But mark my words: There will be another one. One much more powerful and _far_ more monsterous than **I** ever was."

"How do you know that?" Alexander demanded. His father laughed.

"Because I hereby sacrifice myself to MAKE IT SO!" He bellowed. "The next Great White dragon shall be one of your descendents, and they shall bear my likeness! This I swear on my own fading LIFE!"

And with that final bellow, Runileon's body exploded in a flash of Purple energy. The three young dragons were sent flyng backwards. Part of the Purple energy entered inside Alexander and Catherine's bodies.

And then, Runileon's voice laughed malevolently as the Purple energy faded into nothingness.

And then, Runileon was gone.

The three young dragons got back onto their feet.

"Do you think what he said was true?" Catherine asked, concerned.

"You mean the thing with the curse?" Alexander replied. "Naw, he must have been bluffing to scare us."

"Are you sure about that, Alex?" Urobos asked. "He seemed to put a lot of effort into saying all of that."

"Well, he's dead now." The Aries prince responded. "It doesn't matter what he said."

"I guess you're right..." Urobos said. The black dragon glanced back at the bodies of his brothers. He sighed sadly.

"Come on. We need bring Valchen and Umbra with us back to The Crux."

Alexander and Catherine nodded in agreement, and the three dragons set to work gathering the slaind bodies of the two black dragons.

Little did any of them know that Runileon's curse was very much real.

And it would one day manifest in the form of Runefor.


	2. Act 1, Chapter 1

Act 1, Chapter 1

Present day...

Six months. Six long months. That's long it had beed since The Victiumirti were resurrected. In that Time, Urobos and the others had been very busy.

Shortly after the events that took place in Mount Erebus, Wraith and Spyro took Cyrus to Warfang. They met with Grail and the other Deep Shadows and told them what became of Elenar and Albanion. They were saddened by the loss of the two dragons, and Grail wished to exact his vengeance on Bergan, but they accepted the losses and knew to move on.

In the meantime, Urobos and Cynder took Flame with them to Glenhaven. They had the remaining Guardians of the city gather together and explained same events. Urobos also upheld his promise to Albanion, and told Elza everything the Dark grey dragon had said. At first, she was deeply saddened at the loss of both her best friend and her lover. Luckily, the others were there to comfort her in her time of pain. Urobos was the only other person who understood the dragoness's loss.

Becasuse none of the dragons in either city knew how long it would be before Bergan and the other Victiumirti made their move, the dragons needed to regroup. Voden, Blank, Emerald and Ember returned to Glenhaven, while Elza returned to Warfang, bringing Tina and her children with her.

So now, all of the dark dragons were in Warfang, and all of the Light dragons were in Glenhaven. Urobos, Spyro and Cynder decided to take charge, travelling between the two cities via teleportation whenever needed.

After this, Urobos spread the word of the resurrection of the Victiumirti to the farthest reaches of the Dragon Realms alerting all dragons and Nondragons alike of the coming disastrous times. In order to further cement the idea of being on alert into the minds of the world's population, Spyro and Cynder did something they wished they didn't have to: They revealed themselves to the world. Soon, all the beings of the Dragon Realms were talking about the glorious return of two great heroes. But, this news was soon overshadowed by the grim revelation that, not only had Malefor returned, but so had Runileon the Wicked, Amouris the Temptress, and a whole host of evil dragons that none had even remembered.

And they were all led by Bergan, the owner and founder of the Faeshrine Trading Company.

As time passed by, and news of this got around, the most cities and settlements decided to never conduct business with the company ever again. Oddly enough, this didn't seem to affect the Company or the city it was based in at all. It stayed thriving. Many suspected that this was Bergan's doing, and wanted to attack the Company head on. But when they tried to attack, a shocking revelation was made:

The City of Faeshrine had fallen under the control of one of the Victiumirti, a Purple dragon named Lucrun. The evil dragon had eliminated all of the Nondragons in the city, and forced the dragons living there to serve him.

When this news reached Urobos and the others, they contacted the rulers of the city of Aeroshard and the surrounding settlements, and warned them to increase the defenses as much as possible. If the Victiumirti were able to take _one_ dragon city, who's to say they wouldn't try to take _all_ of them?

And so, the three dragon cities and numerous dragon settlements enhanced their defenses, ready for any attack from any army. For several months, no attacks came. It was as if the Victiumirti didn't even exist. But then…

One day, one of the Victiumirti, a Purple dragon named Desysto, attacked the valley of Avalar, an army of dragons behind him. When the many beings living in Avalar saw the attacking dragons, they were horrified.

They weren't ordinary dragons. They were WHITE dragons. An entire army of fully grown White dragons.

The White -hided beasts attacked with brutal efficiency, slaughtering any who stood in their way. Hopelessly outmatched, the Many Cats of the valley fled in all directions, some heading deep into the Raunn Jungle, and others fleeing East across the Veros Outskirts to Warfang.

…

It was late at night in the city of Warfang.

Urobos, Wraith, Grail, and Spyro were standing around in the Warfang Temple's main chamber. They were listening to a Pair of Cheetahs who had just arrived from the Valley of Avalar. The Cheetahs were retelling how the Purple dragon Desysto led his army of the White dragons and completely took over the Valley, killing anyone who stood against them. Most of them were completely dumbstruck.

"WHITE?" Grail bellowed. "An army of WHITE dragons? Impossible! Inconceivable!"

"Are you absolutely **sure** the dragons you saw were White-hided?" Urobos asked sternly.

"There was no mistaking it!" One of the cheetahs yelled hysterically. "When they filled the sky, all that could be seen was a horrible swath of White. White as Snow! Pale as the dead! And when they attacked, they snarled like wild animals, and rained Purple Fire upon us! Everything was burned to ashes! Hardly any of us were even able to escape with our lives, let alone in one piece like the two of us.

Urobos and Spyro exchanged glances.

"Thank you for telling us all of this." Urobos said.

"You and any other survivors that made it here are more than welcome to take refuge in Warfang." Spyro added. The two cheetahs bowed.

"Thank you, King Urobos and Lord Spyro." They said in unison. The two cheetahs then turned and left.

The two aged dragons and two Deep Shadows looked amongst themselves. A feeling of dread filled the room

"An entire Army of White dragons.." Spyro stated. Wraith nodded.

"We're completely screwed." He said, defeated.

"What makes you say that, Wraith?" Urobos asked.

"Think about it." Wraith answered. "If I recall correctly, Hope was able to wield Convexity, which means she controls all twelve elements, making her a force to be reckoned with. Now, she was only _one_ White dragon. If the Victiumirti have an entire **ARMY** of White dragons…."

"…Who knows what they can do!" Grail finished. "They would be able to slaughter every other living thing in our world in under a month!"

"Don't give up hope just yet, you two." Spyro scolded. "We don't know how many White dragons they have under their control. It could be that there are only a few dozen under their command."

"_A few dozen_.." Grail repeated. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"It would be better than a few hundred.." Spyro replied, giving Grail an annoyed look.

"What I'm trying to figure out," Urobos said, "Is where did these all of these White dragons come from in the first place?"

The others thought for a moment, trying to come up with an answer.

"Well, how is a White dragon created?" Grail asked.

"That's simple enough." Urobos answered. "A White dragon is very rare. One is created when A Dark dragon mates with a Light dragon. Two prime examples of this are Runileon the Wicked, and young Hope. Normally, this is a very rare occasion, since the two races of dragon have had such great differences in customs and behaviors that hardly any interracial pairings have happened at all."

"So, then where did the White dragons come from?" Wraith asked.

"Hmm.." Spyro said.

"What, Spyro?"

"Here's what we know: Six months ago, Bergan abducted a large number of Dark dragon children and Light dragon children."

"Okay, so…What does _that_ have to do with it?" Wraith asked.

"I wonder this as well." Grail added. "It's not as if Bergan could transform them into White dragons."

The four dragons were lost in thought again. For a while, the answer still eluded them.

And then, a thought came to Urobos. A disturbing thought. The old dragon cringed, to the puzzlement of the others.

"What's wrong, Your highness?" Wraith asked.

"What if he created the White dragons using a more… _complex_ method?" Urobos asked, clearly disgusted about something.

"What do you mean?" Grail asked. Urobos turned to face Spyro.

"Spyro, do you remember when Cyrus appeared before us in a giant form back in the Pit of the Fallen?"

"Of course." The Purple dragon answered. "Why?"

"His transformation was the same one that Cynder went through hundreds of years ago, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, I must ask: When Cynder and Cyrus were transformed, were they transformed into adult forms _completely_, or just aesthetically?"

"What do you mean, completely or aesthetically?" Wraith replied.

"What I mean is, did all of their bodily systems become fully developed as well?"

"Why would that matter?" Spyro asked, puzzled. Urobos sighed.

"If the transformation gave them true adult forms, then I believe I know where the army of White dragon came from."

"I still don't get it." Wraith said.

"Think, Wraith: Bergan abducted a great number of Dark AND Light dragon children. It's possible that Bergan used the massive amount of Convexity he obtained in the Realm of the same name to transform each and every one of them into a mindless, fully grown minion."

"Where are you going with…?" Spyro asked.

And then, the other three dragons finally realized what Urobos was implying.

"You mean to say he…?" Spyro began to ask, but couldn't finish.

"That's.." Wraith grimaced. "That's disgusting!"

"It's an ABOMINATION!" Grail bellowed in rage.

"And to add insult to injury, Bergan used the same spell to transform the offspring into adults as well, creating a mindless army." Spyro said.

"If I ever meet that man face to face again," Grail growled, "I will tear his hear out through his throat!"

"In any case," Urobos replied, "Bergan now has an army of White dragons."

"We'll need to spread word of this to all of our ally forces as soon as possible." Spyro said.

"I'll get to work on that immediately." Wraith said. He turned to look at Grail. "Let's go, man. We need to contact Cynder and the people of Glenhaven."

"Yes, sir." Grail replied, somewhat with chagrin. Wraith smirked.

As the two Deep Shadows walked out of the Main chamber, Urobos sat down on the floor, sighing. Spyro looked down at him.

"Is something the matter, Urobos?" The Purple dragon asked.

"All this talk of White dragons is making me worry about Rune and Hope again." The King replied. Spyro sighed.

"I understand."

Urobos hadn't seen hide-nor-mane-hair of his two grandchildren ever since the events that took place Six months ago. Whenever the old King thought about that night, he didn't know what to believe.

On one hand, Urobos knew that Hope, or Tyrrany, as she was also known as, had wanted to kill her mother Elenar for most of her entire life. And, with Rune's aid, she got her wish.

On the other hand, it seemed like Hope really had found closure with Elenar, and abandoned her dreams of Matricide and replaced them with "hopes" of living with her family in Warfang.

Urobos had seen Hope kill Elenar with his own eyes. However, Hope immediately claimed that she didn't want or mean to. Perhaps it was a trick played by Bergan. However, it seemed that Rune had lent his sister some aid in Elenar's murder.

Rune. Urobos was even less sure what to think of that one than Hope.

When Urobos saw Rune's horrible yellow eyes, it seemed like he was possessed by Malefor all over again. But that was impossible: Malefor's essence was trapped inside Bane's body. Which begs the question: If it wasn't Malefor possessing him, then what was? Or, was the evil inside him his own?

As Urobos thought of the two, he thought of something else: The Curse. One of those two, either Rune or Hope, was the product of Runileon's curse on his two children. One of them was evil incarnate.

But which one?

Was it Rune, the boy who had once transformed into a giant White beast and nearly killed his own family and friends for basically no reason at all? Or was it Hope, the wrathful young girl who sought to kill the woman who "abandoned" her for revenge, and succeeded?

Urobos sighed once again. One day, he would have to find both of them, and finally figure out which one was the product of the curse.

"We have to find those two immediately." Urobos said. Spyro nodded.

"No, Urobos."

"What?" The Aged king exclaimed. "But-!"

"Don't get me wrong. I worry about those two just as much as you. But you and I have other matters to attend to. And besides, several of our allies are already searching for them. Surely you know that."

Urobos looked away. "Yes, I know."

The aged king got up and approached the Green pool.

"These accursed things never seem to work when you need them to." Spyro chuckled.

"They worked for Ignitus."

Urobos didn't respond. He just sat in thought.

_Wherever they are, I truly hope that they're doing well_

…

"Denzel, dear, please let go of Mommy's tail."

It was late at night in the mountain range. Storm clouds were covering the sky. Tyrrany was lying down in the back of the cave. The small hatchling had grabbed hold of the end of her tail, and was numbing on it.

About four months ago, the egg that Tyrrany laid finally hatched. Her child was a boy, whom she decided to name Denzel.

Denzel was a small purple dragon with a silver underbelly. He had bright red eyes, yellow wing membranes, and pitch black hair. He also had six teeny little stubs for horns: Two on the top of his head that were starting to curl backwards and inwards, two behind his eyes that stuck out diagonally, and two that formed tiny little tusks on his lower jaw. He also had small, shining red birthmarks on his sides, the same as the ones on Tyrrany.

Ever since Denzel first hatched, he had tiny, chubby little limbs, and his head seemed too big for his body. It amused Tyrrany to watch him wander about the cave, squeaking to himself here and there. She kept watch over him, of course, and wouldn't let him wander too far away. A few times the hatchling would trip over himself, which made Tyrrany chuckle.

Whenever it came time to feed Denzel, Tyrrany would bring him with her to wander around the Mountainside, searching for suitable game. For now, he seemed content with eating field mice, since they were so small.

After about two months, Denzel started talking. At first, he could only say one or two words at a time, but eventually, he started speaking in complete sentences. And then, he started asking questions: About what things were, how they worked, why they did what they did, and about a million other things. It got on Tyrrany's nerves sometimes, but she always made sure to keep her temper.

Right now, it was four months since Denzel hatched. When both Tyrrany and Denzel were standing upright, the hatchling's head was slightly below his mother's elbows.

After Tyrrany told Denzel to let go of her tail, the hatchling did so, and turned to look at her.

"I just wanted to play with you, Mommy." He said sadly.

"I know you want to play," The White dragoness replied, "but it's well past your bedtime."

"But I'm not sleepy." He protested.

Tyrrany looked into her son's eyes. She could tell that he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Even so, it's time for you to go to sleep, little one." She said.

"But, I-"

"Come on, Denzel." Tyrrany replied, "Come lie down."

"Aww."

The hatchling lowered his head and slowly walked up to his mother's side.

Suddenly, a flash of Lightning and a crack of thunder exploded into existence outside, scaring Denzel. The hatchling quickly ran behind his mother, starting to cry. Tyrrany chuckled, pulling her son in front of her and wrapping her forelegs around him to comfort him.

"Don't be afraid, little one," She said softly. "It's only a thunderstorm. Listen.."

Soon, the sound of rain falling to the earth could be heard outside. Another flash of Lightning and crack of thunder roared into existence, making the Purple hatchling yelp in surprise.

"Why is it so mean?" He asked his mother.

"Lightning isn't mean, Denzel. It's not alive."

"Then why does it go 'boom' like that?" Tyrrany smiled.

"That's just what it's supposed to do, little one."

"What it's supposed to do?" He replied, confused.

"Of course." Tyrrany replied, smiling.

Another crack of thunder came, this time from somewhere far from the cave.

"You see, Denzel, whenever there is too much Water in the clouds, it falls to the earth in the form of Rain. And sometimes, when there's a really **big** amount of rain, Yellow spikes fall down as well. We call these yellow spikes 'Lightning'."

"What's that loud 'boom' I hear when Lightning falls?" Denzel asked.

"That 'boom' you hear is Lightning's best friend, who's called 'Thunder'. You see, Lightning and Thunder go everywhere together, so they can always play together. The only problem is, Lightning is a little bit faster than her friend Thunder, and always reaches their destination first. Luckily, she always waits for her friend to catch up when she gets there."

"How long have they been friends, Mommy?"

"Oh, they've been friends for longer than you or I have even been around."

"How long is that?" Tyrrany laughed.

"A very long time."

Yet another crack of thunder echoed in the distance. The Rain started to fall harder.

"It's getting late, Denzel." Tyrrany said. "It's time for you to go to sleep." Tyrrany moved Denzel over to her side and draped one of her wings over him, letting him use it as a blanket.

"How will I sleep with Lightning and Thunder keeping me awake?" Denzel asked. Tyrrany thought for a moment, and then came up with an answer.

"How about I sing you a lullaby?" She asked.

"Okay." Denzel answered. The hatchling curled up next to his mother as the White dragoness began singing.

"Look into the past, oh so far away.

Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.

Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.

Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near.

The Dark is here, but the Dawn will come.

Sleep and fall into dream.

Stay strong, my little one, may she watch you til morning comes.

Look into the past, oh so far away.

Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.

Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.

Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near.

Rest your weary head by my heart, because you're within my own,

And in that way we'll never part, however far from me you are.

Look into the past, oh so far away.

Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.

Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.

Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near.

May your foes crumble from within, may Fear send them away.

However great the distance from you, my heart won't sway.

May Shadow lead your way, may the Wind carry you home,

As long as you are loved, you'll never be alone.

Look into the past, oh so far away.

Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.

Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.

Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near."

When Tyrrany finished singing the Lullaby, she discovered that Denzel was already asleep, snoring quietly. She smiled at him.

"Good night, Denzel."

The Lullaby she had just recited was one of her old favorites. She discovered it one day while going through old books in the Faeshrine Library. The book in question was an old Time written about Cynder, or "The Great Shadow", as the book referred to her.

The dragoness sighed.

Tyrrany wished that _she_ was sung to sleep by _her_ mother when she was a little hatchling. There were so many things that she had missed out on. Sure, sometimes her father Bergan was there, but that wasn't a normal occasion.

When Tyrrany finally learned the truth about Bergan and made peace with Elenar, the White dragoness had hoped that she'd finally get the life she always wanted. But then, Bergan tricked her into murdering her mother, and now she lost a chance at a new life **AND** her old one.

Tyrrany looked back at her sleeping hatchling. She shed a few tears.

_Oh, I wish you were here, _Flame, She lamented silently. _I wish you could see your beautiful son_.

Tyrrany spent a few moments fantasizing about herself, Flame and Denzel. She imagined herself nervously placing the purple hatchling before the red dragon, hoping for approval. Tyrrany knew that Flame wouldn't exactly be _pleased_ with the fact that her act of rape produced a child. When she started to worry, she found herself imagining Flame attempting to attack Denzel out of anger.

She immediately scolded herself.

_Stop it, Tyrrany! Flame would never behave like that! That kind of behavior is something that…_

The White dragoness shivered in fear.

…_.something that YOU would do._

Tyrrany started to remember the way she used to behave. She recalled the numerous times she threatened others with, and sometimes carried out, acts of brutal violence. She was, to put it mildly, a psychotic monster. Sure, she had mellowed out since she discovered Bergan's lies, but there was always the chance that she could turn violent again.

She looked down at her sleeping son once again, fear in her eyes.

_What if I lose my temper and seriously hurt him? Or worse….?_

Once again, Tyrrany scolded herself.

_Stop thinking about these things, stupid! You've been doing well so far. Don't jinx it._

Now tired of berating herself, Tyrrany lowered her head to the floor of the cave, ready for slumber. She pulled Denzel closer to her to keep him warm. As she shut her eyes to go to sleep, she smiled, listening to the peaceful sounds of her snoring hatchling.

_Sleep well, my little one._

…

**And so, The Final part of The "Legend of Rune" trilogy begins! What will become of the world now that Bergan and the other Victiumirti have an army of White dragons? Where is Runefor and Nellie? Will Flame ever learn that he has a son?**

**Keep reading to find out!**

**I'd like to thank GoldenGriffiness for writing the Lullaby, since I can't rhyme to save my life. If anyone out there is interested in her poetry skills, check out "One hundred songs about The Legend of Spyro". She's also the author of "Spyro: Remaining Shadows" and "The Legend of Cynder: A new beginning".**


	3. Act 1, Chapter 2

Act 1, Chapter 2

The next morning, at Hontus and Seraph's home..

"Hey Flame! Wake up!" Arthur shouted, shoving the red dragon's shoulders. Flame didn't wake up: he continued snoring.

"Dude, get up!" the green dragonfly demanded. Still no luck.

Annoyed, Arthur turned around and flew into the hallway and shouted for help.

"Hey, can I get some help over here?" Arthur asked.

After a moment, Blank walked up to the dragonfly.

"What's the problem?" He asked.

"Sleeping Beauty's the problem." Arthur replied, motioning with his thumb. Blank rolled his eyes.

"I'll handle this." The Orange dragon replied.

Blank walked up to the sleeping dragon and brought his mouth to one of Flame's earholes. The Orange dragon then took a deep breath and….

"WAKE UP!" Flame bellowed.

Instantly, Flame bolted upright with a yelp. As the red dragon righted him, Arthur shook his head in contempt.

"I could have thought of _that_.." The dragonfly groaned.

"Then why _didn't_ you?" Blank smirked.

As Flame caught his breath, he looked between Blank and Arthur.

"What's the problem?" He asked.

"It's time to get up, dummy." Arthur answered. "We've got work to do, as usual." Flame sighed.

"Fine." He replied. "Give me a few minutes."

For the past six months, Flame and Arthur had been living in Glenhaven. When the red dragon told Arthur what happened to Tyrrany, the dragonfly could hardly believe it. The two boys renounced their loyalty to Bergan and decided to help the others.

Naturally, Flame and Arthur wanted to leave to find Tyrrany. However, Urobos, Spyro and Cynder wouldn't allow it. The two boys were told to stay in Glenhaven for the time being. Meanwhile, three of the Glenhaven Guardians, Hontus, Voden and Jules, left to find the girl in their stead.

Right now, aside from some eggs, hatchlings and cubs, the only Nonadult dragons in Glenhaven were Flame, Blankridge, Emerald, Ember, and a girl named Roxanne. The dragon citizens who didn't lose their children six months ago had become extremely protective of their little ones. A prime example of this was Mimet, Emerald's mother.

The Earth dragoness had become the ruler of the entire city, ever since the news of her father's murder spread around. Fearing for the safety of her two children, Mimet refused to allow Ruby to leave their home, or let Emerald fight with the adults. Emerald protested against this, but there was no changing her mother's mind.

The Water dragoness Seraph wanted her son Blank to stay out of the fighting as well, but Blank was far more assertive than Emerald was. The young Orange dragon refused to be forced to sit on the sidelines. His argument was that he didn't spend several years perfecting his combat skills to **not** use them. And no one, not even Spyro and Cynder, could change his mind.

Flame didn't have any reason not to, and nobody objected, so he decided to lend his aid. Roxanne, a lightning dragoness, and Ember, a Memory dragoness, were allowed to help too.

What were they all fighting? Crepsculi. Hundreds of them.

For the past few months, swarms of the disgusting black creatures stated appearing all around the Arcus Desert. Time and again, some of the creatures would try to invade Glenhaven. Whenever this happened, Flame and the others would have to fight them back.

Normally, Flame, Arthur, Blank, Roxanne and Ember would patrol the outer rim of the city's stone wall for a few hours. If any of them saw a swarm of Crepsculi approaching the city, then they'd immediately alert members of the city guard. Sometimes they'd spot a swarm approaching, and other times they didn't.

On this particular day, things were particularly slow. None of them spotted any Crepsculi.

Flame came to a landing on the southern part of the wall and sighed.

"Another slow day.." He said. The others came to a landing beside him.

"Damn shame if you ask me." Blank replied.

"What makes you say that?" Ember asked.

"No Crepsculi means no fun!" Flame and Roxanne glared at him, making the Orange dragon uncomfortable. "What?"

"FUN?" Roxanne yelled, glaring. "You think having to fight those monsters is FUN?"

"Well. It's good exercise." Blank replied. Roxanne growled.

"Typical Blank-headed Blanky! We're in the middle of a WAR, stupid! This isn't a game!"

"Oh, like you give a damn!" Blank snapped. "You're just helping out to look good for when Rune comes back!" Roxanne flinched.

"Shut up!" She shouted.

"Will you two please stop arguing?" Ember asked, stepping between them. "That's no way for any of us to be behaving right now."

"The kid's got a point." Arthur added. "I'm still not sure what it is that's got you two at each other's throats all the time, but could you give it a rest while we're on these patrols?"

Blank and Roxanne glared at each other for a moment.

"Whatever." They said in unison. Flame rolled his eyes.

The red dragon looked at the sky. It was Noon.

"Looks like are patrol's come to an end," He said. Flame then placed his goggles over his eyes and prepared for flight.

"I'm taking off." he said. As the red dragon prepared for flight, Blank and Ember waved to him.

"Bye." Ember said. Arthur flew after the red dragon.

"Hey, wait up!" The dragonfly shouted. Flame chuckled.

As the dragon and dragonfly flew across the city, Flame started thinking about one person: Tyrrany.

Flame hadn't seen her in six long months. He was the only other person who believed the White dragoness when she claimed that she was tricked into killing her mother. Bergan was a two-faced liar: He tricked Tyrrany into murdering Elenar, and then acted like the White dragoness was planning it all along.

Flame tried to get the others to believe Tyrrany's story, but nobody seemed to know what to think. Some of them, like the Deep Shadow Grail, believed that Tyrrany was a traitorous criminal. He and a few of the Glenhaven guardians wanted The White dragoness to suffer for her act of treason.

This is why Flame wanted to go find her himself: to save her from the others. He wanted to just leave right now, but he knew better. Some of the others were suspicious of Flame's intentions. If he just vanished, they would probably think he _knew_ where Tyrrany was, and hunt BOTH of them down.

Flame sighed.

He had spent a large part of his life trying to win Tyrrany's affections, to little success. When Bergan sent Tyrrany, Flame and Arthur to Glenhaven to find that Nellie girl, the White dragoness threatened Flame with violence if he tried to pursue her anymore.

But then, one night, Tyrrany's attitude about their relationship completely changed, but not in a way he had hoped for. Tyrrany wanted to mate with the red dragon. And when he refused, She angrily forced him to do it, violating him.

But after that, when Tyrrany finally made peace with her mother, she apologized to Flame for what she did, and didn't even expect forgiveness. However, Flame forgave her anyway: All he wanted was to be with her. The two young dragons had talked about living in Warfang together, and having a slow relationship. One day, when they were ready, they'd go back to mating with each other.

However, it seemed that fate had different plans.

Flame shed a few tears.

_Oh, Anny…_

Arthur noticed Flame's crying.

"Are you okay, man?" He asked, concerned. Flame wiped away the tears.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't _seem_ fine." Arthur replied. "You're thinking about Tyrrany again, aren't you."

"So what if I am." Flame snapped. The dragonfly flinched.

"Whoa, easy, Flame. No need to get defensive about it." Flame looked away.

"Sorry."

"Hey, it's alright." Arthur reassured. "I miss her too."

"You don't miss her the way _I_ do."

"I guess that's true…"

The two teenagers remained silent for a time as they flew over the city streets.

"Say, Flame?"

"What?" the red dragon asked.

"Where are we _going_, anyway?" Flame had a look of contempt on his face.

"We're going to see my Dad."

…

Ever since Anthony's involvement in the abduction of the children of the Glenhaven Palace was revealed, the Fire dragon was placed in the City's Jail. Mimet and the other Guardians had tried to get more information out of him, but Anthony refused to speak anymore than what he volunteered. And he didn't seem to care about being locked in prison either.

When it was found out that Anthony and Flame were father and son, the Glenhaven guardians became all the more untrusting of the teenager. Luckily, Anthony told the Guardians that Flame was completely uninvolved with the abduction. In fact, Anthony was surprised to learnt that Flame was even in the city at all.

Ever since Anthony's arrest, Flame had been visiting his father one or twice a month. Flame had mixed feelings about his father.

On the one hand, Flame knew all about Anthony's deeds in Glenhaven, and the younger red dragon wasn't too pleased. On the other hand, Anthony was still his father, and a much better parent to him than Bergan had been to Tyrrany over the years. And seeing his father crippled was painful to him.

Flame and Arthur arrived at the prison on the Northern part of Glenhaven. As the went inside, they were spotted and approached by a Brown Earth dragon. He was Jordan, the Prison Warden.

When Flame first started showing the desire to visit his father, Mimet told Jordan to be ready for whenever the young Fire dragon arrived.

"Good Afternoon, Jordan." Flame said.

"You're here for the usual reason, I presume." Jordan replied. Flame nodded. "Alright then."

Jordan nodded for pair of Cheetah guards to approach.

"Take Flame and his guest to see him." He ordered.

…

Anthony lied down on the floor of his dimly lit jail cell. He was stripped of his original formal attire, and his four ankles were chained to the wall. A muzzle was placed over his face, preventing him from using his Fire breath, but still allowing him to speak. He said nothing, and showed no emotion.

This was Anthony's just reward for aiding Bergan enact his plans. The Fire dragon had originally believed that he and his family would be able to escape retribution for his deeds if he continued to do as Bergan said. However, Anthony made the mistake of misinterpreting his orders, and was cut away from the Purple dragon's regime.

Even if Anthony had to suffer for his mistake, he will still do his best to protect his wife and son from harm. He told the Glenhaven Guardians that Flame wasn't affiliated with his father's actions, and he's been able to keep the location of the new Cybernetics division of the FTC hidden, thus keeping Melissa safe.

Melissa….Anthony hadn't seen his wife in so long. He was happy to be able to see his son every once in a while again, but the Fire dragon still wished to see his wife again.

Oh well. Perhaps he would someday…

As Anthony lied down on the ground, he heard someone approach and looked up. He saw his son Flame walk up to the metal bars, followed by Arthur the dragonfly and two cheetah guards. The adult red dragon got up to speak to his son.

"Greetings, Flame." He said solemnly.

"Hi, dad." the younger dragon replied.

The two guards turned to stand just outside the cell chamber, while Arthur stood over by the wall.

"I take it you're here for the same reason as always." Anthony stated.

"Yeah…"

For a while now, Flame had been trying to get his father to reveal the location of his mother Melissa. She and several other senior partners had gone into hiding ever since Bergan's scheme was revealed to the world. Anthony knew where they were. And Flame was trying to get his father to reveal the location.

Flame wanted to get this information for several reasons. For one, he wanted to know where his mother was, so he could go see her again. Another reason was, if he could get the location of the senior partners to Cynder and the others in Glenhaven, then maybe the Guardians would trust him more. And maybe, if Anthony cooperated with the Guardians, they'd finally let him out of jail.

However, Anthony was adamantly refusing to tell him.

"Why won't you tell me where mom is?" Flame asked.

"I've told you before, Flame," His father replied. "I have my reasons."

"What reasons?"

"If I told you, then how can I guarantee the safety of your mother?"

"'Safety'? Just what was she doing before Bergan went on his campaign of death?"

"I can't tell you."

"Of course you can!" Flame shouted. Anthony sighed.

"Flame, I don't want you of your mother getting hurt." He said sadly. "If I have to rot in this cell to keep you two out of harm's way, then so be it." Flame just looked at his father.

"I may be in more danger than you realize." the young red dragon said coldly. Anthony became puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"Something happened a few nights before Bergan resurrected the Victiumirti. Something that, when he finds out, will make him want to hunt me down personally." The adult red dragon became concerned.

"What, son?" Flame took a deep breath. He approached the metal bars and whispered as well as he could.

"Dad, you're not going to like hearing this.."

"What is it?"

"Dad….a little over six months ago…Tyrrany mated with me."

The news hit Anthony like a boulder. He was so shocked, he fell backwards onto his rear side.

"You and Tyrrany _mated_?" He exclaimed incredulously. "What were you two THINKING?"

"You've got it wrong." Flame responded. "It wasn't with consent.."

If Anthony's mouth was free to move all the way, his jaw would have hit the floor.

"You…You mean to tell me that you…?" Anthony was struggling to form words, he was so outraged.

"No, Dad. It wasn't Tyrrany who was violated." Flame replied, defending himself.

"What?"

"It was me. Tyrrany forced me to mate with her. She overpowered me."

Anthony seemed to calm down a bit.

"As much as I don't want to admit it," the adult red dragon said, "That kind of action isn't outside of Tyrrany's potential. She was always a very aggressive girl.." Anthony looked back at his son. "…And you were _always_ so smitten with her, so taking advantage of you wouldn't be hard for her."

"She changed after that night." Flame replied. "Once she finally made peace with Lady Elenar, she apologized to me for what she did."

"Did you forgive her?"

"Of course. I loved her. And I still do."

Anthony sighed.

"You should stay away from that girl from now on." He said solemnly.

"Why?"

"If you keep pursuing her, she's only going to hurt you even more."

"You're wrong, Dad. She's changed." Anthony glared slightly.

"Do you really believe she can change her attitude so easily?"

"You wouldn't understand!" Flame snapped, glaring as well. "You weren't there."

Anthony looked into Flame's eyes. The adult Fire dragon saw an unrelenting resolve in his son: the boy truly refused to give up on her. Anthony sighed.

"Fine." He said. "But be cautious, Flame: once Bergan learns what has happened between you and his daughter, he'll stop at nothing to condemn you to a painful death for it."

"I don't care." Flame replied. "Bergan can go fuck himself, fro all I care."

Anthony sighed. "I wouldn't say anything like that around him."

"Whatever."

After a short while of silence, Flame sighed.

"You're still not going to tell me where Mother and the other senior partners are, are you."

"No."

"Then I wasted my time, again." Flame turned to walk away. "Bye, dad."

"Farewell, son." Anthony said sadly. "Stay out of trouble."

The young red dragon scoffed and walked away, Arthur following close behind.

In a moment, Anthony was alone again.

The fire dragon sighed.

"So, Tyrrany and Flame have mated…" He said to himself, returning to the wall.

"I wonder if anything came of it. And whether or not Bergan will find out…"


	4. Act 1, Chapter 3

Act 1, Chapter 3

The Realm of Convexity…

The four Victiumirti walked through the great inner chamber of The Nexus. Bergan led the group, followed by Amouris, Malefor and Runileon, respectively.

As the group walked down the middle isle from one the edge of the chamber to the other, the Victiumirti watched the many Giant dragons that were lined up on either side of them. They were all female dragons of various elements, and were in the Oviposition. Almost all of the females had just recently produced new eggs. White-shelled eggs. Those that hadn't produced eggs yet were still in the process of producing them as the Victiumirti walked along.

Runileon towered over every other dragon in the chamber. He had an air of rage and hostility about him as he walked forwards. When he passed by the female dragons, they backed away from him in fear.

Amouris was a Purple dragoness with a black underbelly. Her figure was incredibly slim and curvy. Her ruby red mane fell down to her torso. She had dazzling Hazel eyes, which had a wondrous radiance about them. She had six silver horns that lined up neatly on the back corner of her head, which all curled upwards. She wore all sorts of silver and gold jewelry around her neck and ankles, and walked with grace and elegance. The sweet smell of roses wandered from her body. All this and more was why she was named, "The Temptress".

Malefor had an adamant expression on his face as he observed the many giant dragonesses before him.

Richard the Dragonfly flew by Bergan's side as the leading Purple dragon led the group forwards.

Bergan stopped to look at one of the females: a Memory dragoness. Three white eggs were lying on the ground beneath her. Bergan reached down and picked one of them up to observe it close up. He chuckled.

"Splendid, isn't it?" He asked the other Victiumirti, turning to face them and showing them the egg. "Soon, our forces will have been DOUBLED in number! Possibly TRIPLIFIED!"

"Soon, but not _now_." Runileon said coldly. Bergan cocked an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter?" The Purple dragon asked.

"The production of this army is taking entirely too long." Runileon sneered. "Can you not make this go **faster** in any way?"

"This isn't a simple process, you know." Amouris responded. "This sort of thing takes time. First, we need to wait one month for the eggs to gestate, and then a second month for the eggs to hatch. And then, we need to wait a _third_ month for the hatchlings to develop enough to reach a point when they'll be able to survive being transformed by the power of Convexity."

"Correct." Bergan said, grinning. "And after that, the hatchlings are slowly transformed bit by bit over the course of three more months, during which they receive the proper combat training exercises to be effective on the battlefield. And during that time, we need to wait for the females here to recover from their egg-laying for the first two of those months. Once that's done, they mate yet again, and produce new White eggs, just in time for the previous batch of White dragons to head into the dragon realms."

"Why are we even bothering with this overly-complex process?" Malefor asked with chagrin. "Why not just rely on Grublins, or those black beasts you refer to as Crepsculi?"

"Crepsculi? PATHETIC!" Runileon bellowed. "And don't get me started on this 'Grublin' nonsense you speak of!" Malefor growled.

"The Grublins served their purpose well enough." He sneered. "They were far more competent and loyal than the Apes ever were."

"That's another thing I must comment on!" Runileon snapped. "Apes? You stooped so low as to rely on a race of useless mammals? It's no wonder you were defeated so easily!" The Purple dragon snarled.

"As if you have any high ground to speak on!" Malefor exclaimed. "You were slain by your own two children and their allies, while _I_ was only sealed away by ancient spirits in the Crystal core of the world."

"Ah, BUT," Runileon responded, "I was attacked by _five_ young dragons, three of which were BLACK dragons, while _you _were attacked by two. I managed to deal heavy damage to all of them, and even killed two of the Black ones, while _you_ couldn't even lay a scratch on the ones that attacked you. And even when I was slain, I managed to lay a terrible Curse on my two children, which eventually became manifest, while _you_ couldn't do a thing to the two whelps that defeated you." Malefor rolled his eyes.

"A fine good job you did with that curse!" Malefor shouted sarcastically. "That White-hided demon you had a hand in creating has gone on to become a thorn in ALL of our sides!"

"Are you referring to the demon that **YOU** had a hand in creating as well?" Runileon snapped. "If what I recall is correct, it was **your** manipulation of my Great Grandson that led to the awakening of his evil other self in the first place! You are as much to blame as I am!"

Malefor snarled in rage, gripping his talons.

"Are you attempting to provoke me?" He asked through gritted teeth. Runileon got into a fighting pose.

"I'm certainly not calling you friend!" The White dragon snarled.

Before the two Victiumirti could attack each other, Bergan suddenly appeared between them, a glare on his face.

"Stop this foolishness, both of you!" He bellowed. Malefor and Runileon glared at the younger Purple dragon.

"None of us are enemies here! Save your rage for Urobos, Spyro, Cynder and Rune! **THEY** are the ones you should be attacking, not each other!"

The two enraged dragons slowly calmed down, but they were clearly still enraged with each other. Bergan sighed.

"We have other matters to attend to." the Golden-maned dragon said. He turned to his dragonfly companion. "Bergan, has Desysto made contact since he left to conquer the Valley of Avalar?"

"Not yet, sir," Richard answered, "But it can be assumed that he was completely successful, what with the size of the army he brought along with him."

"You just might be right about that." Bergan replied. He placed the White egg he was holding back underneath the dragoness he took it from. He then turned to face Malefor and Runileon. "Do the both of you recall what your assignments are?"

"Why should we do what you say?" Runileon demanded. "Why should _any_ of us do what you command?"

Amouris snarled, and stepped up to Runileon.

"Do you have an **ounce** of gratitude anywhere in your body?" She demanded, pointing a talon at Bergan. "This man brought all of us back from the dead, when he could have left us to suffer for our past failures! He's given us incredible power and recourses far greater than any of us could have ever dreamed of! The others are making the best of their predicaments, so why not **YOU**?" Runileon cocked an eyebrow.

"That's quite a lot of praise you're giving him." The White dragon sneered. "I wonder what could have you saying such wonderful things about him…"

"SILENCE!" Amouris snapped. Bergan chuckled.

"Nevermind him, Amouris." He said. "Let him do as he pleases."

Bergan turned around faced the other direction.

"Well, my friends, I have other matters to attend to at the moment. I need to see how things are going at our secondary base of operations." The Golden-maned dragon flashed a glance at Amouris. "Care to join me, dear?"

The Purple dragoness looked at Bergan, grinning. "Of course."

The Golden-maned dragon turned to the dragonfly. "Richard, go gather the number of minions needed to collect these eggs and send them to the incubation chamber."

"Yes, sir."

As Richard flew away, Bergan and Amouris walked towards the exit of the far end of the room. Malefor and Runileon glared at the two as he left. Runileon was only mildly irritated by Bergan, as he was by most other dragons, but Malefor had true animosity for the Golden-Maned dragon.

In the past six months, Bergan had gained the trust and respect of several of the Victiumirti. Malefor, however, held this man in great contempt. He didn't trust Bergan at all. Sure, Bergan was the one who freed Malefor from his imprisonment and helped him take over the body of that louse Bane, but there was something about the Golden-maned dragon that he utterly despised. Perhaps it was his mannerisms. Or maybe, it was his Power.

Bergan seemed to be able to do things that Malefor, even in all his might, could only fantasize about. Malefor had once suspended an ancient Dragon Temple over a Volcano, but Bergan managed to take possession of both a mighty fortress AND a giant Palace, and teleported them **both** to the Realm of Convexity by mere will alone. Malefor had corrupted the black dragoness Cynder for a time, while Bergan corrupted HUNDREDS of dragons. And while Malefor had been banished, Bergan had managed to elude exile, stealing away his Father's Monarchy.

Malefor swore, as soon as he got the chance, he would KILL Bergan.

The Purple dragon glanced with contempt at the White giant.

"I am leaving for the Mountains of Kilon on the Morrow." Malefor said. "What about you?"

"I shall play Bergan's game, for now." Runileon responded. "I shall leave for the Pyrus Volcanoes."

The two Victiumirti turned and headed for the exit on the other side of the room.

"Damn that Bergan." Runileon sneered. "If we didn't need him to bring about the end of that pathetic world, I'd smite him where he stood."

"Not if I did so first…" Malefor replied.

As the two stepped out of the room, Malefor turned back to look at the many females lined up on the floor. He growled.

_Ridiculous…._

He then turned and walked away.

…

Mount Erebus.

It was the middle of the night. For the past six months, the Glenhaven Palace has hovered high above the remains of the mountain, engulfed by the everlasting Geyser of Green light from the Pit of the Fallen. A massive swarm of giant dragons and Crepsculi Patrolled the Palace and Mountain, preventing any intruders from getting inside.

The Palace was controlled by the dragoness Adpetis.

Adpetis had a Snow White hide and a golden underbelly. Her build wasn't as slim as Amouris's, but she was just as curvy. She had sky blue eyes, and eight Golden horns: Four larger ones which curved upwards on the upper back corner of her head, and four smaller ones that grew backwards behind her lower jaw. Her black mane fell neatly down her neck.

The White dragoness was inside the Palace's main chamber, sitting before the green pool in the center of the room. She was bored.

When the Victiumirti were dividing up control over their recourses, Lucrun took over Faeshrine and the FTC, Desysto received command of half of the first White dragon Army produced, Malefor and Runileon each received control of the Crepsculi, Amouris took charge of The Nexus's forces, and Adpetis took control of the Palace's forces.

At first, Adpetis enjoyed her power. However, over time, it became apparent to her that she was just sitting on her rear side doing nothing for most of the time. Sure, on occasion, a band of dragons who opposed the Victiumirti would arrive in an attempt to liberate Mount Erebus from their possession. However, even then, the dirty work was handled by the many dragons she had under her control.

Adpetis groaned in annoyance.

"When Bergan arrives next," she decided, "The two of us are going to have a long talk…"

"About what?" Someone asked, making the White dragoness jump in surprise.

In a moment, Bergan and Amouris appeared in a cloud of Purple smoke on the other side of the Green Pool. Adpetis stood up as the approached her.

"Greetings, Bergan." The White dragoness said.

"How are things going here?" The Purple dragon asked.

"They are the same as they have been for the past half year." Bergan grinned.

"Good. Very Good." The Purple dragon walked around the green pool and faced the White dragoness. "Now then, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Er, nothing." Adpetis responded. "Nothing at all."

Amouris smirked.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me." She replied. Adpetis glared.

"Shut it, you!"

"Now, now, there's no need for that." Bergan said, shaking his head. "If there's something bothering you, my dear, feel free to speak on it."

Adpetis looked at the Purple dragon for a moment. When she saw he was being serious, she began.

"Well, I'm growing tired of staying locked up in this place doing next to nothing. Would it be too much to ask for me to put my talents to use?"

"What do you wish to do, Adpetis?" Bergan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"What I desire is to go out and conquer parts of the land, as the others are doing."

"Are there any lands in particular that catch your interest, my dear?" Adpetis's eyes beamed.

"You'd let me leave the Palace to do as I please?"

"Why not?' Bergan asked. "You _have_ been cooped up in this dreadfully boring building for quite a while. So, I'll allow you to take the remaining half of our White-hided forces and go conquer any settlement of your choice. In the meantime, I'll tend to matter her in your stead." Adpetis smiled.

"Thank you, Bergan." The Purple dragon smiled.

"Your welcome." He replied.

Bergan reached up with a forepaw and scratched Adpetis's chin.

"Before that, however, what do you say to you and I spending a little _quality time_ together?" Adpetis cocked an eyebrow, grinning.

"Why, Mr. Bergan!" She replied. "You're awfully forwards." Bergan brought his paw away from her.

"My apologies." He said. "I didn't mean to offend you, my dear."

"Oh, you haven't offended me at all, Bergan!" Adpetis responded. She reached over and placed a paw on Bergan's face, smirking. "I'd me more than happy."

Amouris scoffed in chagrin, which got the others' attention.

"What's wrong, Amouris?" Adpetis asked.

"Nothing." The Female Purple answered, turning to leave the room. "I'll give you two some privacy."

"You know, you're more than welcome to join in." Bergan responded.

Amouris turned to face the Purple male, perplexed.

"You would have me included?" She asked.

"Of course." Bergan answered, smiling. Adpetis frowned.

"I'm not completely sure about that, Bergan." She said. "I've never been in a threesome before." Bergan chuckled.

"Well, don't worry, my dear." He replied. "You'll enjoy it."

"If you say so, Bergan…"

Adpetis lied down on her back. Bergan had Amouris lied down on top of her. Bergan then gleamed as he scooted the Purple female forwards a little, so that he may lay down on top of both her and Adpetis.

"How are you going to pleasure us both at once?" Amouris asked.

Bergan reached down and grabbed the end of his tail as he grabbed hold of Amouris's and lifted it upwards.

"What are you…?" She asked, confused.

"Allow me to demonstrate." He answered.

…

**Aaaaaaand COCK-TEASE! Sorry, folks, even I'VE got SOME standards.**

**Also, I'd like to apologize for the incredible boring chapters so far. Don't worry: once the exposition's finally finished, everything will get far more entertaining.**


	5. Act 1, Chapter 4

Act 1, Chapter 4

The Pyrus Volcanoes..

They were a string of Volcanic Islands that lied on the ocean to the West of the Northern continent. Some of them were active, while others weren't. The largest of these Volcanoes was known as Mount Helfyr, named after the First King of Clan Sagittarius. Either way, the sky around the Volcanoes was colored completely black from the mass buildup of Ash and smoke released into the air.

For hundreds of years, the dragons of Clan Sagittarius made the Pyrus Volcanoes their home. But after the Twilight War ended, and the six clans of Light dissolved, the most of the Sagittarius dragons left to live elsewhere. Nowadays, only Moles, some Fire dragons, and a few other species that can survive the extreme temperatures lived on the Volcanic Islands.

On the Island that was home to Mt. Helfyr, near the edge of the Island's south beach, a cloud of purple smoke appeared. Out of that cloud, walked two young dragons, a White one and a Blue one. It was Runefor and Nellie.

Runefor was holding Nellie by the upper foreleg. The Blue dragoness had a strange, snake-like black necklace wrapped around her neck. Runefor had a similar necklace around his own neck.

As soon as Runefor and Nellie walked out of the Purple smoke, The Blue dragoness started panting from the heat. Runefor laughed.

"Something the matter, Nellie?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Why did you bring me _here_?" Nellie demanded.

"Well, I thought you could use a little vacation from our little love nest." The White dragon chuckled.

"I can't take this heat!" The Blue dragoness protested. "I'm a _Water_ dragon! I can't stand extremely high temperatures!" Runefor rolled his eyes.

"Now that's too bad, because we're going to be here a while."

"Why?"

"It's the first stop in my 'death to everything but me' campaign." He answered, smirking. "Once I'm finished here, we'll move on to the _next_ stop."

Nellie struggled to use her Water magic to cool herself down.

"You could have just left me behind." She said as she rubbed water on her face.

"Oh, quit your complaining already!" Runefor snapped. "I've got work to do. Come on."

Runefor started walking forwards as Nellie stood where she was. After the White dragon walked a certain distance away, an ethereal green bond suddenly appeared between the two snake necklaces, yanking Nellie forwards onto the sand. She hit the ground with a thud, while Runefor laughed.

"You didn't forget about the chain _already_, did you?" He chided. Nellie climbed back onto her feet, groaning.

"No…" She responded solemnly.

"Well then.." Runefor turned and prepared for flight. "Don't fall behind, Nellie!"

Runefor and Nellie took off into flight, the Blue dragoness following close by the White one.

Shortly after Nellie was forced into becoming Runefor's captive six months ago, the White dragon created the black snake-shaped necklaces, so that he could keep the Blue dragoness from fleeing from him whenever he took her out of the cave they were hiding in.

Nellie had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, she couldn't stand the way Runefor used her for his personal enjoyment, nor did she agree with the horrible plans the White dragon was scheming.

And yet, the Blue dragoness put up with him. Part of the reason was the fact that she was afraid of Runefor: He was far more powerful than her, and could kill her at any moment. But the biggest reason was, she still had hope. Rune, the real Rune, was still alive, somewhere deep inside Runefor's mind. She had even been able to speak to him on occasion.

She would never forget the first time she made contact with Rune, back on the first night she was Runefor's captive.

During their round of pleasure, Runefor had allowed Nellie to enter into his mind to speak to the Black dragon. When she saw him approach her across the great black abyss they were staring in, she was nearly in tears.

Rune looked extremely weak, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. When he walked forwards, he was barely able to move. He had a look of great despair in his eyes. And when he spoke, his voice echoed across the abyss.

"Nellie…." He moaned, defeated. The dragoness gasped at the sight of him.

"Rune?"

As Rune shambled forwards, Nellie ran forwards to comfort him.

"Rune!" She shouted, excited to see her beloved again.

However, before she could reach him, a great invisible force got between them, preventing them from embracing. Nellie struggled as much as she could to break through, while Rune just looked at her, depressed. Runefor's horrible laughter filled the abyss.

_**Having trouble getting to your lover, Nellie?**_ He asked tauntingly. The Blue dragoness looked around the abyss, trying to spot the White dragon. She snarled.

"Let me through!" She demanded. "And go the fuck away!"

_**Sorry! No can do!**_ Runefor responded. _**I can't have you planning with Rune behind my back, so whenever you two get to chat, I'll going to be here to supervise, and as an added precaution, I'm going to keep you two from even TOUCHING each other.**_

Nellie growled as Runefor laughed again. Rune sighed in sadness.

"Just forget about me, Nellie." He said.

"Forget about you?" The dragoness exclaimed incredulously. "Why would you want me to do **that**?"

"I'm the reason that everything's gone wrong." He answered. "My mother's death, Tyrrany's disappearance, and your violation by Runefor are all because of me. I can't even ask for you to forgive me. I'm a traitor, just like I always used to believe." Rune turned to walk away from Nellie.

"Rune, wait!" Nellie shouted, wanting desperately to embrace him. "You're not a traitor! None of this was your fault! It was Runefor's doing!" Rune sighed, turning to face the dragoness.

"Don't you get it?" He asked. "I **am** Runefor. He's a part of me, just like he always _has_ been."

"No, he's not! Don't let him get to you, Rune!"

"Just stay away from me, Nellie."

And with that, Rune continued walking away again.

"Rune, come back!" Nellie exclaimed frantically. "Don't go! I for give you!"

But Rune didn't go back to her. He just continued walking away into the abyss, until he vanished. Nellie slumped onto the "floor" and cried.

"Oh, Rune…."

As the blue dragoness cried, Runefor laughed at her yet again.

_**Oh, don't waste your time crying over that cowardly pile of Apeshit. I think you'll find that I'm a FAR superior lover than that Black pussy.**_

"Stop saying those things about him!" Nellie demanded.

_**Or what?**_ Runefor asked.

"OR….or….." Nellie didn't have an answer. There didn't seem to be anything she could possibly do. She just tilted her head low and sighed in defeat.

"Nevermind…." the dragoness replied sadly. Runefor chuckled.

_**Good answer.**_

Nellie got up from the "floor" of the abyss and turned to walk in the opposite direction that Rune took. After a moment, she found herself lying next to Runefor in the outside world again.

After that initial meeting with Rune, Nellie began trying to find a way to save him. No matter what it took, The Water dragoness would do whatever it took to free Rune from his imprisonment, get control of his body back from Runefor, and destroy the White Beast inside him once and for all.

_Don't give up, Rune_, she thought. _I promise that I'll save you._

…

Runefor and Nellie flew across the sky, heading towards the Mount Helfyr. It was a struggle for Nellie to concentrate on flying through the uncomfortable heat, and it only got harder as she got closer to the Volcano. Runefor, however, didn't seem effected at all.

"Doesn't the heat bother you?" She asked, confused.

"Nope." He answered.

"Why not?"

"Because, unlike yours, my Water magic doesn't suck." Nellie glared at Runefor in anger.

"That was uncalled for!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, don't worry, sweet-cheeks." The White dragon responded, looking at her with a grin. "You'll get better, eventually."

"Gee, thanks." Nellie said sarcastically. Runefor laughed.

After this, the two stopped talking, and continued on their trip to Mr. Helfyr.

The Volcano towered almost a quarter of a mile into the sky, and was a third as wide as the island it was sitting on. It was active: Because of this, the dragons and other beings who lived on the island had set up their settlements on the opposite side of the Island.

"It kind of makes you wonder why they bother living so close to a raging inferno in the first place, doesn't it?" Runefor asked.

"Well, the Volcano doubles as a mine, which the locals go through to collect various metals for multiple purposes, like making weapons and equipment." Nellie responded.

"Yeah, I don't really care."

Eventually, Runefor and Nellie reached the rim of the mouth of Mt. Helfyr. Runefor came to a landing right at the inner edge, while Nellie landed as far behind him as possible. The Bleu dragoness was panting harder than ever.

"I can't stand this!" She cried out. "Can't I please just wait somewhere far away from here!"

"Nope." Runefor replied, nodding his head.

"Why not?" Nellie shouted frantically. "I'm dying out here!"

"Oh, you're not dying!" The White dragon scolded, glaring at her. "Quit being such a baby and deal for five minutes!"

After that, Runefor turned back around and looked down into the volcano at the layer of Lava lying before it. The Lava was about halfway to the bottom of the Volcano. He smirked.

"Hmm, if I sit around and wait, it could take AGES for the volcano to erupt on its own.." Runefor said. He then started charging Magical energy.

"What are you planning to do?" Nellie asked.

Runefor created a small purple orb in front of his open mouth. Runefor then shot the orb into the sky. It hovered a good distance over the Volcano. Runefor then fired a blast of Purple energy at the Orb, making it grow in size. After a short while, the Orb had become almost as big as the opening in the Volcano. Runefor then turned to face Nellie, a smirk on his face.

"You see that Giant Orb?" He asked, pointing with a talon.

"Yeah…" The blue dragoness answered.

"It's made of Convexity. Once I have it drop inside Mt. Helfyr, it'll cause the Volcano to become EXTREMELY unstable..."

Nellie gasped.

"You're going to flood the island in the Volcano's lava?" Runefor chuckled again.

"Well, that didn't take long to figure out, now did it?"

Runefor turned around and faced the floating orb. He raised a forepaw out towards it, seemingly getting it under his control with the Memory element. As he lifted his paw upwards, the Orb floated upwards as well. The White dragon was preparing to have it drop down into the volcano.

"Runefor, stop!" Nellie demanded. "Don't do it!" The White dragon laughed.

"You don't _honestly_ think you can get me to stop just like THAT?"

Nellie wanted to say something, but she knew he was right. Runefor was far more powerful than her.

The blue dragoness sighed and looked away.

"I'm not going to watch." Runefor smirked.

"Do what you want."

After this, Runefor looked back at the giant Orb of Convexity and prepared to have it plummet into the Volcano….

But then, something made him stop. The White dragon could hear something far behind him.

"What the..?" He asked, confused.

Runefor turned around and looked around at the Island before Mt. Helfyr. Nellie looked around too.

"What's that noise?" She asked.

"You hear it too?" Runefor responded.

The two young dragons looked around for a while. And then, they spotted it.

A massive swarm of Black monsters had appeared out of nowhere, and was flying across the settlements off in the distance.

Nellie gasped, while Runefor grinned

"Is that a swarm of Crepsculi?" Nellie exclaimed.

"Well, well, well!" Runefor chuckled. "Looks like things have gotten a little more interesting!"

The White dragon turned back to the Orb of Convexity. He held his paw out and took control of it again.

"What are you going to do now?" Nellie asked, hope in her voice. She believed that Runefor was about to give up on causing the volcano to go unstable.

She was wrong.

"Well, first," Runefor began, "I'm going to do THIS!"

Runefor swung his forepaw downwards quickly, causing the Orb of Convexity to hurtle deep into the volcano, much to Nellie's horror.

After a short moment, the whole volcano started to rumble. Runefor turned to face the settlements and prepared for flight.

"Next," He said, "You and I are going to make a run for it!"

Soon, the Volcano started shaking even harder. Runefor and Nellie took off for flight as Mt. Helfyr started to erupt.

As the two dragons flew across the sky, Lava started bursting out of the volcano at a rapid rate. Runefor led Nellie towards the settlements.

"Why are we heading towards the monsters?" Nellie shouted. "We could just head back to the cave right now!"

"True, we _could_ leave now.." Runefor smirked. "But why not have some fun first?"

"FUN?"

"We're going to go kill some Crepsculi for a bit before the Lava blows this whole place to hell!" Nellie gasped.

"But, we couldn't possibly take on an entire **swarm** of them?" She protested.

"Oh, relax!" Runefor chuckled. "If you stick near me, you won't get hurt _too_ badly!"

As the two dragons flew towards the southern settlements and the attacking swarm of Crepsculi, a large number of the beasts spotted the two dragons. As the Crepsculi flew forwards to attack them, Runefor began charging up energy.

"Try to keep up, Nellie!" He shouted.

Immediately, Runefor flew into the offensive, dragging the surprised Nellie along with her.

For a while, Runefor flew through the air at frightening speed, slashing Crepsculi with his talons and blasting them into nothingness with Convexity blasts. Nellie had to struggle to catch up enough to keep from being dragged like a ragdoll through the air. Some of the beasts tried attacking the helpless dragoness. However, Runefor moved so fast that the monsters couldn't even reach her.

Nellie was frightened. Not by the Crepsculi, but by Runefor.

The whole while he fought, he was either grinning or laughing like a mad-drake. The Crepsculi were **nothing** compared to him.

After Runefor had killed close to several dozen Crepsculi, Nellie found that he had led her to a place in the sky that was hovering over one of the Island's below, she could see dozens of beings running in a panic, trying their best to fight back against the invading black monsters. Off in the distance, Nellie could see the lava from Mt. Helfyr rolling across the land, getting closer and closer. It was like a sea of red and orange Fire, that burned everything that it consumed to ashes.

_Those poor people. who live here.._, She thought as she went flying past several Crepsculi. _They're doomed._

Suddenly, something happened that frightened her. The sound of a Giant Roar echoed across the sky. It sounded nearby.

Runefor was startled by the roar as well.

"This ouhta be good..." He said, getting on his guard.

The Crepsculi stopped attacking the two young dragons; instead, they just stayed where they were, hovering in place.

Suddenly, a giant White dragon came flying into view from behind them, roaring in rage. Runefor saw the giant flying towards him and flew out of the way at the last minute, yanking Nellie after him. After missing the two young dragons, the Giant White dragon came to a stop in midair and glared at them.

It was Runileon.

Nellie flew behind Runefor, who chuckled at the Giant.

"Why, if it isn't Runileon the Wicked!" Runefor shouted. He turned to look at the blue dragoness. "Nellie, I'd like to introduce you to my Great Grandfather, and one of the beings responcible for my current state!"

"SILENCE!' Runileon bellowed. "You have a lot of nerve to intervene in my plans!"

"_I_ have a lot of nerve?" The younger White dragon asked. "If I recall, Nellie and I were the ones to arrive first! It is **you **who's intervening in **my** plans!"

Runileon snarled.

"Either way, This land belongs to ME!" He sneered. "Because you're of my kin, if you leave now, I'll let you live..for now."

Runefor laughed in Runileon's face.

"You great big moron!" He chided."I don't need your charity!"

"WHAT?" Runileon bellowed.

"What are you doing?" Nellie whispered. Runefor ignored him.

"Did you forget your own fucking Curse? I'm far more powerful than you'll EVER be! Your time's over, ya old fart!"

Runileon snarled in rage.

"PERISH! The Giant White dragon roared.

Immediately, Runileon fired a blast of Convexity at Runefor. The younger White dragon darted out of the way, Nellie helplessly dragged along after him.

For a while, Runefor and Nellie dodged away as Runileon attacked them with a barrage of Convexity blasts. Nellie was stricken with fear, but Runefor behaved as it were a game to him.

"What's wrong Great Granddad?" He chided. "You can't seem to hit me!"

The Giant White dragon roared in rage as he continued his rampage, trying desperately to attack his smaller, faster opponent. After a while, Runileon noticed that a strange, ethereal chain was connecting The two young dragons together. He recognized it, and got an idea…

At first, he acted as though he was making a grab for Runefor. The younger White dragon made to fly right past the Giant's forepaw to taunt him. However, Runileon fired a blast of Convexity between the two dragons just a **split-second** before he made the false grab for Runefor.

Just as Runileon expected, the chain passed harmlessly trough the Convexity. Nellie, however, hit the beam head on, screaming in pain. She was sent hurtling downwards to the ground below: Runefor was yanked after her by their necklaces.

The two dragons clashed violently into the ground in the middle of the village. Runefor slowly got back onto his feet, groaning more in annoyance than in pain. Nellie, however, was crying in agony: she had various bleeding wounds allover her body. Her wings were broken in the fall.

When Runefor saw what happened to her, he glared.

"DAMNIT!" He shouted. "I certainly can't fight with you reduced to dead weight!" Tears and blood poured from Nellie.

"Help me.." She pleaded weakly. "Please..."

"Didn't I tell you to stick near me?" Runefor responded.

"I'm sorry..." The White dragon groaned.

Suddenly, a great roaring came from above. Runileon was charging downwards towards them, ready to attack again. It was a problem.

But that wasn't the **only** problem.

Many citizens of the village were running in terror from the north of town. Off on the edge of the village, the Lava from Mt. Helfyr had finally arrived.

There was little to no time to act. Runefor sighed, snapping his talons...

...

Moments before Runileon could crush the two young dragons with his paws, a cloud of Purple smoke suddenly appeared around both of them. When Runileon came to a hard landing, he expected to hear bones crunching and loud screams of agony. Instead, all he hear was the simple thud of himself landing on the ground.

Runefor and the blue one had teleported away.

"DAMNATION!" Runileon bellowed in rage. "I swear, I will make that louse and his personal harlot suffer for this!"

Suddenly, Runileon heard the sound of something fast approaching from the north. He looked in that direction, and saw the Lava of Mt. Helfyr rolling over the village buildings. The Giant White dragon took to flight to avoid being burned alive.

From high in the sky, Runileon watched as the settlements of the island were burned to a crisp by the raging lava. Once by one, the many homes and other buildings were completely destroyed The many citizens fled for their lives as fast as they could. But alas, the only ones who had a chance to survive were the few dragon citizens. And even thsese few only found themselves being attacked by the swarm of Crepsculi in the air.

In truth, there was no hope for any of them...

Once the destruction had finally come to an end, Runileon looked around at the other islands. Whatever the young White dragon had done, Runileon knew that it was a most effective way to eradicate the lives that lived around the Pyrus Volcanoes.

"But how did he make the Volcano erupt?" Runileon wondered out loud.

He held one of his forepaws in front of him. He charged Convexity energy into it.

"Perhaps some usage of Convexity is the key..." The Giant White dragon looked out around the islands again. "I wonder what that whelp was planning to do by destroying the islands. Whatever his plans are, or were, it doesn't matter."

Runileon looked around at his army of Crepsculi. Each and every one of them was giving him their attention.

"Move on to the other islands." He commanded. "Each and every one of them must fall within 36 hours."

Almost immediately, the massive swarm of Crepsculi split in two groups: One half of the swarm went north, while the other half went south. Meanwhile, Runileon focused on the destroyed ruins of the large island underneath him for one last moment.

"That young one may be more powerful than I ever intended."

And with that, he flew off to the north.

...

In a burst of Purple smoke, Runefor and Nellie appeared in the middle of their cave. Nellie was still greatly wounded, and still crying in pain.

"Please.. help me..." She begged sadly. Runefor rolled his eyes, groaning.

"If **COURSE** I'm going to help you, dumbass!" He yelled. "Letting you die would be a waste of pussy, and I sure as fuck don't have Necrophilia."

Immediately, the White dragon set to work using his Pain and Water magic to heal the Blue dragoness's wounds. After only a short moment, Nellie was fully healed. However, she was still tired from her exposure to the extreme heat of the Pyrus Volcanoes.

Runefor sighed.

"It looks like we're going to have to stay the fuck away from **that** that place for a while!" He said with chagrin. "I should have figured one of the Victiu-whachamacallits would arrive to bust skulls. Oh well, Great Granddad will die with the rest of them soon enough."

Nellie struggled onto her feet and turned around to look at Runefor.

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" She asked.

"Well," He began, "I'll have to move on to attacking other areas of the Dragon realms. I don't really have a hit list for this. But for now…" Runefor grabbed Nellie's shoulders and forced her down onto her belly. "..you must be tired from that little _accident_."

The White dragon walked around and laid down beside Nellie on the Cave floor. She sighed, rolling onto her side and presenting her belly to him.

"I'm ready." She said to him solemnly. Runefor grinned, getting up close to her.

"Glad to see you're starting to take initiative." He responded.

This had become their routine. For the last half-year, the two would spend some of their nights mating. At first, Nellie couldn't stand this treatment. She wanted to claw this monster's eyes out and force him to consume them.

But then, she started to try something to null the pain: She imagined that she was mating with Rune, not Runefor. She pretended that it was the kind-hearted, Black-hided boy she had fallen in love with, not the Narcissistic, White-hided BEAST. She looked into Rune's tender, Golden-iris eyes, not Runefor's Malevolent, Demonic gaze.

Sometimes this worked, and sometimes it didn't.

And on this night, it didn't.


	6. Act 1, Chapter 5

Act 1, Chapter 5

It was the middle of the day in the city of Warfang. Cyrus had finished his Magical tutoring and his Physical Combat training for the day, and was planning on going to the Warfang Library. But first, he needed to find Tina so that the two could go together.

As the young Black dragon walked through the many halls of the Warfang temple towards Tina's room, he couldn't help but marvel at how empty it was. Well, it wasn't _completely_ empty: Many adult dragons were wandering the hallways. No, what made it feel empty was the almost complete lack of young dragons.

Ever since Bergan abducted the dragon children of Warfang, the Temple lost one of it's primary reasons to exist: To be a place of learning. The old classrooms sat unused, and the dragons who served as teachers had to move on to other occupations. It was depressing. It made actually made Cyrus _thankful_ that he still had his private tutors, and he **hated** school.

After traveling through several almost barren hallways, Cyrus finally came to the hallway that Tina's room was located by. To his luck, he spotted the dark yellow dragoness walking out of her door. But then, he saw something that made him gasp in alarm.

"Oh no…" He muttered with dread.

Tina was followed by Elza's three hatchlings: Argent, Christopher and Melanie. And they spotted him walking down the hallway towards them.

"CYYY!" They all shouted with glee. Immediately, the trio charged forwards towards him. Cyrus held a foreleg out in front of him to form a wall between him and them.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" He exclaimed. "Stay back!"

But they didn't listen. The three hatchlings pounced onto Cyrus all at once, knocking the Black dragon to the floor.

It had been about five months since the trio hatched. The two boys were dark green Wind dragons, while Melanie was a dark grey Flora dragoness. They were all teeny little hatchlings, with short chubby limbs. The three hatchlings were also VERY hyper for their age.

Argent, the biggest of the bunch, had red eyes and three red horn stubs, the latter of which were pointed backwards . He also had a silver underbelly, and a long Blue mane, the front of which fell over his left eye. Christopher, the middle-sized hatchling, had green eyes and two silver horn stubs. The hatchling also had a yellow underbelly, and a short Bronze mane. Melanie had, the smallest of them all, had green eyes and two red horns. She also had a silver underbelly and a wild bronze mane.

Tina walked up to the four dragons, smiling. Argent was numbing on the Cyrus's tail, Melanie had grabbed hold of Cyrus's horns, and Christopher, was climbing allover the Black dragon's torso, wrestling with him. Tina struggled not to burst into laughter.

"Alright, you little brats!" Cyrus yelled. "Get off!"

"Play with us, Cy!" Christopher exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're so much fun!" Argent added.

"No." He said sternly. "I don't have time for this."

"Pleeeease?" Melanie asked, trying to sound a sweet as possible.

"I said no." He said with chagrin. "Now get off!"

"But we wanna play!" Christopher protested. Cyrus groaned, and looked up at Tina.

"A little help here?" He asked. The dark yellow dragon chuckled.

"Sure." She answered. The dark yellow dragoness reached down and pulled Christopher off of Cyrus with a forepaw.

"Alright, you three." Tina scolded. "That's enough playing with Cy for now."

"Awwww." Melanie and Christopher said in unison.

"Why?" Melanie asked sadly. Cyrus reached up and lifted the dark grey hatchling off of his head and neck.

"Because I don't have time to play."

"Why?" Melanie asked again as Cyrus sat her on the ground.

"Because I have work to do."

"Why?" Cyrus was starting to bet annoyed.

"Because it's important."

"Why?"

"Because it'll help save the city."

"Why?"

"Because shut up!" He exclaimed, frightening Melanie.

Tina smacked Cyrus across the back of his head.

"OW!" He shouted, rubbing his head.

"Don't yell at them." Tina scolded, pointing a talon at the Black dragon. "They're only babies."

Cyrus rubbed his head, grumbling, while Christopher and Melanie laughed. Meanwhile, Tina grabbed hold of Argent and lifted him off of the Black dragon's tail.

"Hey!" Argent yelled, wriggling his tiny limbs in protest. "No fair!"

Tina placed Argent next to his siblings. "It's time to take you back to see you Mom now."

"Okay." The three hatchlings said in unison.

"Can Cy come with us?" Argent asked. The Black dragon rolled his eyes.

"Well, I need Tina with me when I go to the Library, so…" He sighed. "Alright, I'll go with you kids."

"Yay!" The hatchlings cheered. They grabbed Cyrus's forelegs and hugged him extremely, making the Black dragon groan.

"Thank you, Cy!" The hatchlings exclaimed.

"..You're welcome.." He said with chagrin. Tina giggled.

"If you three don't let Cy go," She said to them, "we'll never be able to go see your Mom." Immediately, the three hatchlings let go of Cyrus.

The Black dragon turned around and faced the same direction as Tina.

"Let's get going already." He said, walking forwards. Tina and the three hatchlings followed close behind.

Ever since the Argent, Christopher and Melanie hatched, it became apparent that Elza wouldn't be able to work as a Deep Shadow and pay attention to her children at the same time. So, Tina offered to baby-sit the three hatchlings whenever Elza couldn't be around to watch them herself. The Deep Shadow accepted this offer, and none of the other adults protested.

As Cyrus and Tina walked off to find Elza, the three hatchlings crowded around the Black dragon, trying to keep up with him as he walked ahead. They often tripped over themselves in their haste. Sometimes, one of the hatchlings would crawl underneath him and walk near his chest. Tina thought it was cute, but it irritated Cyrus.

After Melanie crawled underneath Cyrus, the Black dragon immediately shoved her away.

"Stop that!" He yelled. The dark grey dragoness only giggled.

"What is **with** you kids?" He asked.

"They like you, Cyrus." Tina replied, chuckling.

"You're the coolest, Cy!" Argent declared. The other two hatchlings agreed by cheering, making the Black dragon groan. He turned to whisper to Tina.

"Did I ever tell you how glad I am that we decided not to do it until we're older?" The dark yellow frowned at Cyrus.

"Uh, no, why?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Because otherwise, we'd have to deal with more of-" The Black dragon was cut off when all three of the hatchlings tried to climb underneath him at once, causing him to lose balance. He toppled over with a yelp and hit the floor hard.

"..This." He groaned. Tina and the three hatchlings laughed.

"You're funny, Cy!" Christopher said.

Tina reached down and helped Cyrus get back onto his feet.

"They're just being kids, Cyrus." She said, chuckling

"Yeah, whatever." He grumbled.

If anything good happened six months ago, it was the fact that Cyrus and Tina were finally dating. After a long time of hiding his feelings out of shyness, Cyrus had finally won Tina's affections. It was Ironic that Bergan, the man who was causing so many problems, had ended up giving the young Black dragon the chance to express his true feelings to Tina. Sure, Cyrus was Bergan's pawn at the time, and he had nearly seriously injured the Dark Yellow dragoness, but they were finally past that.

After a short while of walking, the five dragons finally came to the Main chamber of the Temple. When they walked in, they saw Urobos, Spyro, Wraith and Elza standing around the Green Pool. They were finishing up a conversation.

"…And remember to look into the matter when you're on assignment next." Urobos said to the Green dragoness.

"Yes, your highness." Elza responded.

At this moment, Argent, Christopher and Melanie ran up to their mother.

"Hi, Momma!" Argent yelled.

Elza turned to look at her children as they started hugging her limbs. She smiled.

"Hello, my lovelies." She said. The green dragoness glanced at Tina. "They weren't too much trouble, were they?"

"Nope." the dark yellow dragoness responded.

"That's good to hear." Elza turned back around to face Urobos. "I'll be taking my leave of duty for the rest of the afternoon, your highness."

The Black dragon nodded.

"Have yourself a good day, Elza." He said.

The Deep Shadow bowed to the king, and then turned to leave, her three hatchlings following close behind.

Once she was gone, Urobos sighed.

"It's good to see that she's finally recovered from the loss of Albanion." Spyro said. "I was beginning to fear that she may attempt to end her life."

"Nah, that's not what she'd do." Wraith responded. "She wouldn't abandon her kids like that."

"Yeah." Cyrus added. "She loves them too much to do that."

"Even so," Urobos said, "She still misses Albanion, and Elenar and Bane as well.. You can see it in her eyes: the loss of all three of her friends is tearing her apart on the inside."

For a short while, no one said a word. But then, Tina broke the silence.

"Hey, Cyrus and I are headed for the Warfang Library." She said.

"What business do you have there?" Urobos asked.

"Well, the two of us have been thinking." Cyrus began. "We know that each of the Victiumirti, besides Bergan, I guess, was an ancient dragon who committed horrible acts of villainy, both before **and** after Malefor's reign. Right?"

"Probably." Wraith answered.

"Well," Tina said, "We figured that, there must be ancient tomes somewhere that describe each of these dragons' lifetimes, and how they were eventually defeated."

"I suppose that's possible." Spyro replied. "Do you mean to search the library to see if you'll find anything that could prove useful to us in our fight against Bergan and the other Victiumirti?"

"That's the plan." Tina answered.

"Hmmm, I always thought Rune was the history buff." Urobos replied. "This is odd behavior coming from **you**, Cyrus."

"Well, it's for a good cause." The young Black dragon responded.

"Even so," Spyro said, "The search might take days, if not weeks. There are tens of thousands of Books and Tomes in the Warfang libraries."

"It won't take as much time if they have a little help." Wraith replied.

"You would help them?" Spyro asked.

"Why not? If there's one thing Ancient evil dragons all have in common, is that they all use powerful and ancient Magic. And I'm a renowned expert when it comes to Magic."

"That's an excellent point," Urobos responded, "but I'm afraid that I need you to maintain your duties as leader of the Deep Shadows."

"Well, I can help them when I'm off duty, or when there isn't much that I need to do." The Aged Black dragon thought for a minute, and then nodded.

"Very well." He replied. "You might as well start now."

"Alrighty!" Wraith exclaimed. He turned and walked towards the exit, glancing at Cyrus and Tina. "Shall we go?" The two younger dragons nodded in agreement.

As Wraith, Cyrus and Tina left the room, Urobos sighed.

"They're not going to find anything on Runileon." He said. "His death was too recent to be recorded, and even then, most Light dragons refuse to acknowledge his existence nowadays."

"Indeed…" the Purple dragon replied. "Say, you were the one who defeated Runileon the first time, correct?"

"Technically, yes..," Urobos answered, "But I didn't do it alone. I was aided by my allies, Alexander and Catherine of Clan Aries, as well as Valchen and Umbra, my two younger brothers. They lost their lives to save me from death."

Spyro sighed.

"I'm sure they were honored as the heroes they were." He said.

"They were." Urobos replied.

And so, Urobos remembered the day of his brothers' funeral…

...

It was several days after the fall of Runileon.

When the Great White Monster died, his corruption of the dragons of Clan Aries died with him. They immediately stopped fighting the other Dark dragon clans and **started** destroying the many legions of Crepsculi that Runileon had created.

When Urobos, Catherine and Alexander arrived at The Crux with the bodies of Valchen and Umbra, they explained what had happened. King Hyperion had mixed feelings.

On the one hand, he was enraged at Urobos for disobeying his orders and going after Runileon when Hyperion told him and his brothers to take Alexander and Catherine and flee. Furthermore, this foollish action led to the premature deaths of his brothers.

On the other hand, Urobos, Alexander and Catherine had managed to bring about the death of one of the greatest threats to the world since Amouris the Temptress. And Hyperion couldn't help but admire how his son justified his actions:

Urobos said that it was his duty as the heir of Clan Capricorn, and a descendent of The Great Shadow, to protect his and all the other Dark dragon clans. He and his two brothers knew that they had to do whatever it took to save the dark dragons from harm, even if it meant going against their father. Urobos was greatly saddened by the loss of his brothers, but he had been able to save the Dark dragon race, so he was content.

The young Black dragon admitted that defying his father's orders was treasonous, and, since he was now considered an adult, his defiance was punishable by exile. Urobos turned to leave, ready to leave his home behind, but was stopped by Hyperion. The King then said that he had already lost two sons: He didn't wish to lose all three. So, instead of being branded a traitor, Urobos was heralded as a hero, alongside Alexander and Catherine.

After this, Hyperion contacted Runileon's wife, Queen Masocia, and told her that her Husband was slain. She quickly assumed command of Clan Aries's forces and had them set to work restoring the damage that Runileon had dealt to the world. The White Monster's body was sliced open, his organs removed and burned, and the carcass left to rot away at the top of Mount Erebus. This was a custom afforded to only the most infamous members of Clan Aries: It was meant to force Runileon's spirit to make the longest and most frustrating trip to the Underworld as possible.

Meanwhile, Valchen and Umbra were scheduled to be given a proper funeral.

And it was being held today, in the center of The Crux.

It was Noon.

A whole number of Dark dragons were lined up the streets to witness the event. Near the pathway that led to The Crux's Palace, two black coffins were prepared, both of them opened. The outer walls of the coffins were incribed in silver Runes in ancient draconian, which repeated the same phrase over and over on all sides:

_Though this hollow shell shall soon be gone, the dragon it housed will forever linger on._

Inside the coffins were the bodies of the two slain Princes: Valchen in the one on the left, and Umbra in the other one. Through the use of magic, the two princes' bodies were cleaned of their bloodstains, healed of their wounds, and were laid down on their bellies. They looked more like they were locked in peaceful slumber than dead.

As the crowd paid their respects to the fallen princes, King Hyperion stood in-between the Coffins, giving a speech to the Crowd.

"My friends and people, we are gathered here on this day to speak of the loss of my two sons, Prince Valchen and Prince Umbra, as they have recently been taken from this world before their time. As their bodies lay here before us, we should not mourn their deaths, but remember the great dedd they did for the world when they were alive. Were it not for their actions, the Great White Monster, Runileon the Wicked, has finally been slain. And in the time that came before that, they have done their best to serve us of Clan Capricorn, as well as dragons of every other clan as well..."

As Hyperion continued his speech, many dragons shed tears for their fallen Princes. Urobos, Alexander and Catherine stood at the front of the crowd, saddened by the loss of their brothers and friends, respectively. A Space dragoness, roughly Urobos's age, stood by his side, holding the saddened Prince by the paw to console him. This was Anna, Urobos's best friend and future mate.

Anna the daughter of two of King Hyperion's personal guard: The Deep Shadows. She had a Dark Red hide and a black underbelly. She had beautiful Silver eyes and a poison green mane, which was worn in braids. She had four bronze horns, all of which curled backwards and downwards at the back of her head. She wore a black cape over her wings: It was the custom garment for the grim occasion. She also wore various pieces of jewelry around her neck and on her paws. Most of them were gifts from the Prince.

Anna started whispering to Urobos.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"I'm content." He responded, looking away.

"You don't _look_ content, Urobos."

"There's no need to worry about me, Anna." Anna glanced into the Black dragon's eyes.

"You don't need to pretend to be indifferent, Urobos. If you need a shoulder to cry on, you may have mine."

Urobos looked into Anna's eyes, and then bent his head down, letting his tears flow from his shut eyes.

"They're dead because of me." He said miserably. "If only I didn't make that mistake trying to strike Runileon from behind, then Valchen wouldn't have jumped in the way of the White Monster's attack to save. And then, Umbra wouldn't have flew at Runileon in a rage, and _he'd _still be alive as well. I should be the one lying there, not them."

Anna pulled Urobos closer to her, and wrapped her tail around him.

"It's not your fault, Urobos." She said soothingly. "Runileon was the one responsible. If he hadn't gone on his mad campaign, you would have never needed to go after him in the first place."

Alexander and Catherine were listening in on what Anna was saying, and wanted to join in to cheer up their Black-hided friend.

"She's right, Urobos." Catherine said.

"Yeah." Alexander added. "Don't blame yourelf for what our father did. _We_ certainly don't, and your father has forgiven you as well." Urobos calmed down, and looked between his friends, smiling slightly.

"Thank you, my friends.." He said.

Around this point, Hyperion reached the end of his speech.

"...And so, the time has finally come bid our final farewell to Valchen and Umbra. May we all remember them for the great heroes they were, and still are."

And with that, the coffins were closed. Hyperion signaled for two dragons holding torches to approach the coffins. The black coffins were set on fire, and as they burned, a group of musicians played depressing music. All of the dragons, as well as Hyperion himself, shed tears of great despair. None of them would ever forget either one of these two great Heroes.

As Urobos watched his brothers cremate before his eyes, he shed the last of his tears and gripped Anna's paw tightly.

"Farewell, my brothers." He said with Melancholy. "I await the day that I meet you again in the Underworld."

Little did he know, that when that day came, he would be returning to the Living world shortly afterwards, through the aid of two Legendary Dragons.


	7. Act 1, Chapter 6

Act 1, Chapter 6

Several hours ago, in the Mountains of Kilon...

It was early in the morning. Denzel slowly woke up and looked around. He found himself curled up next to Tyrrany, the White dragoness's wing draped over him, just like it always is. They Purple hatchling slowly crawled out from under Tyrrany's wing, careful not to disturb his mother.

Denzel quietly snuck over to the mouth of the cave, sat down at the edge, and looked out at the mountain range.

The cave opened up high in a mountain side, over a small, barren valley. Big brown mountains rose up all around the area. The sky was a pretty light blue, and a few fluffy white clouds flew about on their way.

The Purple hatchling had started making a habit out of looking out at this view in the morning, before his mommy woke up. Sometimes, Denzel would think about the many things that she taught him.

A few months ago, Denzel found out that he and his mommy are creatures called "Dragons", which are a mighty and proud race. He learned that there were lots of dragons that lived allover the world, and lots of them were even bigger than his mommy, which scared him a little. When Denzel asked why they weren't living with other dragons, she wouldn't tell him everything. The White dragoness only said that she did something bad, and now the bigger dragons are mad at her for it, so she had to hide. Denzel didn't believe that his mommy could **ever** do anything bad: after all, she was such a nice dragon, and a good mommy.

"Maybe the bigger dragons are just being mean to Mommy." He reassured himself.

After watching the pretty scenery for a little while longer, Denzel heard something strange. A low grumbling sound came from the Purple hatchling's belly.

"I guess I'm hungry." He realized. "I better go tell Mommy."

The Purple hatchling turned around and quietly walked over to the sleeping White dragoness. He sat down by her side, reached up with a forepaw, and started poking her gently.

"Mommy?" Denzel asked, trying to get her attention. "Mooooommy?"

At first, Tyrrany only continued sleeping. But after a short while, she mumbled a bit, slowly waking up.

"Denzel?"

"Mommy, wake up!" The Purple hatchling said, poking harder. Tyrrany opened her eyes and glanced at her hatchling.

"What is it, Denzel?" She asked, still half-asleep.

"I'm hungry, Mommy." He answered. Tyrrany sighed.

"Alright." She said. "Just give me a moment, little one."

Denzel stepped back as Tyrrany got up onto her feet, yawning. After stretching for a short while, the White dragoness turned to walk towards the front of the cave, her Purple hatchling trotting along after her. Tyrrany came to a stop at the mouth of the cave, and sat on her haunches.

"Okay, climb up." She instructed Denzel.

Tyrrany lean fowards as the Purple hatchling climbed onto her back and up to her neck. Denzel then folded his wings around his mother's lower neck and locked his two spike wingblades together. He then rested his forepaws on Tyrrany's shoulders as the White dragoness got back onto all fours and prepared for flight.

Because Denzel was only a small hatchling, he didn't know how to fly, or even glide. So, whenever she had to bring him with her somewhere, the White dragoness carried him on her back.

Tyrrany and Denzel spent a good while flying to the north. They were heading towards their usual hunting spot. It was a large valley to the north of the cave they were staying in.

As they flew, Denzel started talking to Tyrrany.

"Mommy?" he asked.

"Yes, little one?" Tyrrany replied.

"Can I try hunting with you today?" The White dragoness chuckled.

"Hmmm.." Tyrrany pretended to think about it for a moment. "Well, you _are_ starting to get big enough..."

"Yeah?" Denzel asked, getting excited.

"But, then again, you might not be ready to learn how..." The Purple hatchling frowned.

"Aww.."

After keeping her son in suspense for long enough, Tyrrany smiled and glanced behind to look at him.

"Sure, I'll teach you how to hunt." Denzel's eyes beamed.

"Thank you, Mommy!" He exclaimed, hugging the White dragoness's neck tightly.

"Careful, dear." Tyrrany replied. "Don't choke me."

Surprised, Denzel let loosened his grip.

"Sorry, Mommy." Tyrrany chuckled.

"It's alright, little one."

After flying through the mountain range for a while, the two dragons finally came to the valley.

The valley was surrounded on all sides by several high mountain sides, except for a few narrow passes in a few of the mountains that led in and out of the valley. A large river ran throught the valley from the northeast side to the southeast. Quite a number of creatures lived in the valley, such as mountain goats, field mice, Lynxes, among other species. No other dragons ever came here, so it was a perfect spot to feed in secret.

Tyrrany came to a landing in the middle of the Valley, by a pair of trees. As Denzel climbed down from his mother's back, he spotted a few Mountain Goats grazing across the way. Immediately, he got excited.

"I wanna hunt one of those!" He shouted. The purple hatchling was about to run off after them, but Tyrrany stopped him with a forepaw.

"I don't want you going after _those_, Denzel." She said sternly.

"How come, Mommy?" He asked.

"You're still much too small for bigger game." She replied. "For now, you should prey on field mice. They're much easier for young dragons to catch. Okay, dear?"

"Okay.." Denzel said sadly.

...

Tyrrany led Denzel over to a spot in the valley that some field mice inhabited. The White dragoness taught her son how to stay quiet to sneak up on his prey, how to instantly jump to top running speed to outrun it, and how to snap a small creature's neck with his talons and teeth. At first, Denzel had a little trouble catching the mice, which made Tyrrany giggle. After a few more failed tries, the hatchling got frustrated.

"I can't do it!" He yelled. "They're too fast."

"Don't give up, Denzel." Tyrrany replied. "Just keep trying. You'll get it right soon."

"If you say so, Mommy."

Denzel continued trying, but still had some trouble. Tyrrany couldn't help but give the little guy some aid. To keep the mice from hiding underground, the White dragoness used her Fauna element to persuade the mice to stay above ground and in the same general area. She didn't make them stand still, though: She wanted her hatchling to catch one by himself.

And then, after several tries, Denzel finally managed to catch a few of the mice. He managed to grab ahold of three of them by their tales with his forepaws, reach down with his head, and snap their necks with his jaws, just like Tyrrany taught him. He then picked up the mice in his mouth, trotted triumphantly back to his mother, and placed them down before her.

"Look, Mommy!" He exclaimed happily. "I finally did it!" Tyrrany smiled down at him.

"Good for you, dear." She replied.

Tyrrany and Denzel returned to their spot by the trees, the Purple hatchling carrying his meal in his jaws. When they came to a stop, Denzel went to lay down under the shade of one of the trees. He proceeded to eat his mice, while Tyrrany turned towards where the goats were.

"Stay here, Denzel." She instructed. "I'll be right back in about a minute, okay?"

"Mesh Mumee." Denzel said with a mouthful of food. His mother sighed.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear." She scolded. Denzel gulped to clear his mouth.

"Sorry." He responded.

Tyrrany turned and flew towards the goats. In the meantime, Denzel finished his meal and relaxed in the shade of the tree. The Purple hatchling shut his eyes and listened to the sound of the world around him.

He could hear the sound of wind blowing across the sky. Many different kinds of animals wandered about their way across the valley. Birds cawed in the distance. The river water flowed peacefully through its banks. Loud monsters shrieked in the sky..

Loud monsters shrieked in the sky?

Immediately, Denzel opened his eyes and looked around, curious. He wandered a short distance out of the shade and looked up at the sky. When he saw the source of the noise, he became confused.

High up in the sky, a bunch of black...things flew across from one end of the sky over the valley to the other. There was a massive number of them, and they seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere.

"Mommy?" He exclaimed.

Tyrrany had just killed one of the mountain goats when Denzel called her. She grabbed the goat's limp body and carried it with her as she flew over to her son.

"What is it, Denzel?" She asked. The Purple looked up and pointed a talon at the black things.

"Mommy, what are those?" He asked.

When Tyrrany saw what he pointed out, she gasped in shock, dropping the goat in the process. She immediately grabbed her son and flew into the shade of the trees, confusing the hatchling.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Denzel asked.

"Shhh!" She quickly whispered, putting a talon on the hatchling's mouth, confusing him even more. "Don't make a sound."

Tyrrany then stuck her head out a little so she could watch the black creatures fly across the sky. At first, she had worry on her face, but she seemed to calm down when the black creatures continued on their way. She breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, several of the creatures suddenly dove right into the valley, heading straight for the trees in the center of the valley. Alarmed, Tyrrany immediately sat Denzel down and, using her Earth element, summoned walls of rock out of the ground to surround the hatchling, including the top. She left top half of the front side exposed, so that Denzel could get plenty of air.

"What are you doing, Mommy?" he asked, confused.

"Just stay quiet, Denzel." She told him, frantic. "Mommy has to fight some bad monsters."

Tyrrany then turned around suddenly and started snarling at the approaching creatures, charging her magical energy.

And then, when they got too close for comfort, the Whtie dragoness attacked.

...

Malefor led his swarm of Crepsculi across the Mountains of Kilon. He had arrived several hours ago, and was making his way towards the location of the base of operations of a Gem-mining company that Bergan had told him about. It sounded like a good place to gather together a massive amount of Gems in a short amount of time. All Malefor would have to do was eliminate a dragon named Angela, and the business would fall.

In the meantime, as the Great Purple dragon made his way there, he sent Crepsculi to invade several dragon settlements that he happened to see were built into the Mountain range. Most of the time, the Crepsculi handled their job fairly well on their own, and they came in an almost unlimited supply. However, on occasion, Malefor had to step in himself to eliminate heavy resistance. Once he was done, and the resistance's lives and homes were left in ruins, the Great Purple dragon continued on his way.

As time went on, Malefor began thinking about the beings that would no doubt be his greatest opposition.

At the top of the list was Bergan, or course, followed by Runileon, and then the other "Victiumirti", as Bergan called them. They shared the same goal as Malefor: The Great Cleansing. However, Bergan claimed that they were also going to be opening a gateway for "their Lord and Master" to step onto the dying world to rebuild it in its own image: Some great being called "The Nothing".

"Whether or not this 'Nothing' exists," Malefor thought out loud, "I refuse to stand aside for some other creature to steal my glory. Once the world breaks to pieces, I will dispose of Bergan and those other fools."

Next on the list were those two wretched pieces of filth who defeated Malefor before: Spyro and Cynder. Malefor certainly had quite a long history with those two. And they would no doubt try to stop him again. And to make matters even **more** irritating, they were aided by that Aged Black dragon, Urobos. He wasn't as powerful as either Spyro or Cynder, but according to what Runileon said of him, Urobos was still a force to be reckoned with.

"He will have to be dealt with swiftly."

The next dragon on the list would probably have placed much higher, were it not for the fact that he was alone, while the others worked together: The young dragon Rune.

Once upon a time, Malefor had hoped to make the young black dragon his pawn, just like he did to Cynder. However, the Great Purple dragon never expected to have the whelpling turn on him and use him as a power source. And now, that same dragon was running rampant.

Malefor shook with rage. Were it not for Runileon's curse, then Rune would have been made the Great Purple dragon's pawn. Then again, it was Malefor's own ignorance of the way the resurrection ritual works that resulted in him losing almost all of his power to Rune. Perhaps both Malefor AND Runileon are responsible for the way Rune is now.

"Whatever the case," Malefor said, "If I don't kill that boy soon, he could ruin everyone's plans: Mine, Spyro's, and even Bergan's. I must find him immediately. But..." Malefor frowned. "..Where could he be?"

For a long while, Malefor continued on his way, directly in the middle of his large army. He started approaching a large Valley in the Mountain range. At first, he paid it no mind. After all, it was presumably just an empty valley. But then, Malefor spotted something odd.

About a dozen or so Crepsculi suddenly dive bombed into the Valley. Malefor cocked an eyebrow.

"Now, what's gotten into them?" He wondered.

So, Malefor picked up the pace to see what the fuss was about. As he did this, more and more Crepsculi started pouring into the valley. The Great Purple dragon would have stopped them, had curiosity not gotten the better of him.

Malefor came to a landing at the southern edge of the Mountain walls around the valley and looked into it, trying to spot what had caught the Crepsculi's interest. When he spotted it, Malefor's eyes lit up with surprise.

In the center of the valley, was a young White dragon. Whoever it was, they were fighting back against the invading black beasts with a ferocity Malefor had rarely seen in other dragons. The White dragon was attacking with a barrage of various elemental strikes, going between Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, Ice, and several others at an alarming rate.

Malefor didn't know whether or not this dragon was Rune. Either way, he couldn't have this stranged destroy too many of his Crepsculi. So, the Great Purple dragon leapt into the air and dove for the White dragon.

As Malefor got closer, he saw that it wasn't Rune who was killing the Crepsculi. No, _this_ White dragon was female, with black hair and four horns.

"Interesting.." He said to himself.

Malefor came to a hard landing just a short distance from the dragoness, who was still in the middle of killing the attacking Crepsculi. As Malefor walked fowards towards them, the Crepsculi stopped attacking and backed away from the dragoness. At first, she was confused, but when she saw Malefor approaching, she immediately understood, and prepared to attack him, snarling. Malefor could have sworn he had seen this dragoness before somewhere. It was right on the tip of his tongue...

And then, he looked into the dragoness's eyes. Blood red eyes. Bergan's eyes. Immediately, Malefor recalled who she was.

"Ah, you must Bergan's daughter, Tyrrany." Malefor said, coming to a stop before her. "Your father has told me quite a lot about you." The White dragoness snarled at the Great Purple dragon.

"You must be Malefor.." She sneered.

"And how did you come to that conclusion so soon?" He asked.

"You have the same eyes as my brother did when he..transformed." Malefor chuckled.

"You are a smart girl, just like your father claimed you are." Tyrrany growled

"That man can rot in the Underworld for what he did to me!" She bellowed. "And **YOU** can rot for what you did to Rune!"

"Ah, you must be referring to how Bergan tricked you into flying into a frenzy and murdering your dear mother." Malefor replied, ignoring the matter about Rune. "Bergan has explained all of his deeds to me and the other Victiumirti." He started walking closer to Tyrrany, the White dragoness backing up to the trees behind her.

"I must say, Tyrrany, that I completely understand if you wish to exact vengeance on your father. There are some deeds that even _I_ find deplorable."

"Is that a fact?" Tyrrany asked sarcastically. Malefor ignored her tone.

"Because of your father, you have become an even greater outcast among the dragon race than you were as you came of age. Now, the whole world sees you as the daughter of the man who is bringing the world to it's end, and also the one who murdered the Queen of the Dark dragon race. Both Light and Darkness want you dead."

Tyrrany sneered.

"What do **you **care?" She demanded. "You're HELPING him bring the world to its end!"

"Correct. But, I and a few of the other Victiumirti are planning to replace this cold, oppressive world with a better one. A world with dragons that don't try to slaughter each other based on appearance or alignment. And we aren't going to kill every last dragon that we find: If any dragons bow down and swear their alegiance to us, they will be spared.." Malefor pointed a talon at Tyrrany, causing the girl to flinch. "..you may be included among their number, if you're willing to comply."

"..You want me to swear loyalty to Bergan and the rest of his goons?" Tyrrany snapped. "FAT CHANCE! I'd rather cut deep gashes allover my body and go jump in a massive pile of salt and barbwire!"

"I'm not asking you to swear fealty to Bergan: I'm asking you to swear fealty to **me**." The White dragoness cocked an eyebrow.

"You?"

"I do not believe that Bergan deserves to live to see the new age. YOU, on the other hand, are _much_ more worthy. If you swear to obey me, then I shall do two things for you in return. First, I will give you the power needed to strike down anyone who attempts to kill you for being Bergan's daughter. And Second, I shall provide you with the opportunity to get revenge on Bergan for doing the things he's done. What say you, Tyrrany."

Tyrrany glared straight into Malefor's eyes. The dragoness's gaze was filled with animosity.

"I don't need your charity, or anyone else's." She said coldly. "I'll get my revenge on _that man _on my own. Go fuck yourself, Malefor."

The Great Purple dragon glared at the White dragoness.

"What?" He asked, incredulously and angered.

"And by the way," She added, "My name is **HOPE**!"

Malefor snarled.

"You think you can just spit in my face?" He bellowed. "After I gave you the opportunity of a lifetime and asked for little to nothing?"

"You promises are empty." The White dragoness responded. "You may have been able to fool Rune in the past, but not me."

Malefor snarled even louder. It was all he could do to keep from attacking the White dragoness out of rage...

And then, The Great Purple dragon saw something odd.

Off to the left, behind Tyrrany and near a tree, was a bizarre, geometric rock formation. Inside that rock formation, Malefor could see two tiny, Blood Red eyes that were filled with fear, looking up at him. When Tyrrany noticed Malefor's gaze, she gasped.

Curious, Malefor walked towards it. Tyrrany immediately jumped in front of the rock formation, desperately wanting to protect what was inside.

"STAY BACK!" She bellowed. This only **increased** Malefor's curiousity**.**

As the Great Purple dragon walked forwards, the White dragoness opened her mouth and attacked with a blast of Convexity. Malefor did the same.

As the two beams moved back and forth, Malefor walked up to the Tyrrany. No matter how hard she tried, the White dragoness couldn't overpower Malefor. When he was close enough, the Great Purple dragon struck the younger dragon to the side with a forepaw. He ended his Convexity attack just before he hit the rock formation: If he destroyed it, then he wouldn't know what it was.

As Malefor reached down with a forepaw for the rock formation's top, Tyrrany pounced onto his foreleg, attempting to maul him. However, Malefor struck her with a Blast of Earth breath, sending her flying backwards onto the ground. He then grabbed hold of the top of the rock formation, ripped it off, and looked inside.

Inside the rock formation was a small, infantile, Purple dragon. It stared up at Malefor, frozen in absolute terror. At first, he didn't undestand why it would even be here. But then, Malefor saw that the hatchling had the same red birthmarks on his sides as the ones on Tyrrany, as well as several other similar features.

Malefor laughed as he came to realization. He turned away form the infant to look at Tyrrany.

So, you have produced a child." He chuckled. "Interesting. Very interesting indeed."

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Tyrrany screamed frantically.

"Do not worry, Tyrrany." Malefor responded. "I won't harm your infant, nor will I abduct him, if that's what you _think_ I might do." The White dragoness got back onto her feet.

"I don't believe you!" She screamed. Malefor sighed.

"Then watch me."

The Great Purple dragon turned away from the infant and walked back the way he had come earlier. As he did this, Tyrrany ran to her child to protect him.

"This certainly changes matters, now doesn't it?" Malefor asked, turning to face the White dragoness. "Just in case you're wondering, I don't plan on telling Bergan about your child, or anyone else. Your secret is safe with me."

Tyrrany snarled, holding her child close to her. Malefor chuckled.

"This won't be our last meeting, young dragon. We _will_ me again. And until then, my offer still stands. By agreeing to swear fealty to me, you just might be able to live in a safer world for your son to grow up in." Malefor spread his wings and took off into flight. The Crepsculi followed suit.

As they flew away, Malefor turned and said one last thing to Tyrrany.

"Think about it, Tyrrany: You'll be doing it for your son."

And then, Malefor and his minions flew off into the distance, over the edge of the mountain side.

They were gone.

...

Tyrrany waited for about ten minutes after Malefor left, all the while not saying a word. Denzel didn't say anything either: He was still afraid of the Giant Purple dragon.

After she grew tired of waiting, Tyrrany turned to look at her hatchling, anger still etched into her face.

"Denzel, we're leaving." She said sternly. The White dragoness sat down for her haunches. "Now." The Purple dragon gulped.

"Okay, Mommy."

Slightly afraid, the Purple hatchling reluctantly climbed up onto his mother's back to get into position for flight. Once he was done, Tyrrany took off without a hitch.

But she wasn't heading back to the cave they were living in: Tyrrany was headed East, away from both the cave and the direction that Malefor left in.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Denzel asked, confused.

"Away from where HE can find us easilly." Tyrrany answered. She had tried not to let her anger show, but she wasn't completely successful.

After flying aimlessly for a good while, Tyrrany spotted another cave in the side of a mountain, flew into it, and came to a landing.

Afterwards, Denzel climbed down from his mother's back and looked around at the inside of the cave.

"Where are we, Mommy?" He asked.

But Tyrrany didn't answer. Instead, she stormed off into the cave, ranting to herself.

"Who did that jackass think he was? I don't need some asshole sending his GOONS after me and then turning around and basically telling me to bend over and kiss his feet!"

As the White dragoness walked back and forth at the back of the cave, her Purple hatchling slowly approached her, still slightly afraid.

"Mommy, who was that man?" Denzel asked. Tyrrany turned to look at him.

"That man was someone named Malefor," She answered, "and he's a bad man."

"Bad? How bad?"

"**Very** bad." Tyrrany turned and walked towards her son. "A long time ago, Malefor did lots of mean things to other dragons. He was stopped, but now he's come back to do it again."

"Why was he the same color as me?"

"Purple is a fairly common color for dragons. It's only a coincidence."

"Co-ins-dense?" Denzel asked, trying to repeat the word. Tyrrany chuckled.

"It's a word that means that two or more things are the same for no real reason."

"Oh..." Denzel replied. He looked away from her for a moment, clearly nervous about something.

"What's wrong, little one?" She asked, concerned.

"Mommy, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course, dear." Tyrrany reassured. "What do you want to know?"

"Mommy...who's Bergan?"

Tyrrany sighed. She didn't want to tell Denzel about his Grandfather, but she didn't want to lie to him either. And she knew better than to say she wouldn't tell him, or he'd keep asking.

_I guess he'll find out eventually,_ she thought_, but I can't tell him too much. Oh well.._

"Bergan is the name of my Daddy." She said. Denzel looked at her, confused.

"'Daddy'?" He asked. "What's a daddy?" Tyrrany's eyes beamed.

_Thank the Ancestors! He's changing the subject!_

"Every dragon has two parents, Denzel: The Mommy, a woman, and the Daddy, a man. My Mommy was named Elenar, while my Daddy's name is Bergan."

"Do _I_ have a Daddy?" The hatchling asked. Tyrrany smiled.

"Of course you do."

"Then, where is he?" The White dragoness sighed.

"He's far, far away from here." She answered, slightly saddened.

"Why?"

"Well, do you remember how I told you about those bad things I did?"

"Yeah."

"You see, your Daddy was the only one who didn't think I was to blame for what I did. He didn't want me to go into hiding: He wanted to protect me from the other dragons. But, he wouldn't have been able to, so I went away."

Tyrrany looked away from Denzel to wipe some tears from her face. The Purple hatchling walked up to her, able to tell she was sad.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm alright.." She answered. "I just miss him."

"Well, why don't we go see Daddy, then?" Tyrrany sighed.

"We can't, little one." She answered sadly. "The other dragons are still mad at me."

"Oh..." Denzel said, looking down at the cave floor. "Will I ever get to _meet_ my Daddy?"

Tyrrany pulled Denzel close to hug him.

"Maybe someday, my little one." She answered. "Maybe, one day, I'll finally be able to show my face to the other dragons. And when that day comes, you'll be able to meet your Daddy, and we can all be a family." Denzel's eyes lit up.

"Really?" He asked. Tyrrany smiled.

"Really."


	8. Act 1, Chapter 7

Act 1, Chapter 7

Faeshrine…

Ever since Lucrun took over the city of Faeshrine, the city had become quiet. Morbidly quiet.

When the Great Purple dragon took over the city, he had used his Convexity energy to corrupt the minds of every adult dragon living there. Next, he had every last Nondragon being hunted down and brutally slain, with their bodies cremated and dumped into the Forest. Lastly, Lucrun captured all of the child dragons and sent them to the Realm of Convexity to be used by Bergan to create more White dragons for their ever-growing army.

In the months after that, Lucrun had turned Faeshrine into a ghost town. All of the dragons were forced into servitude. The Great Purple dragon had all of the city's valuables and riches sent directly to him in the Faeshrine Trading Company's Headquarters, which he now used as his personal Stronghold. It didn't really matter: Neither he nor any of the dragons under his control would need the money anyway.

It was the middle of the night. In the middle of the street leading up to the FTC's main building, a cloud of purple smoke appeared. Out of it, a single dragon appeared. It was Runefor.

The White dragon had decided to let Nellie sit this particular job out. Leaving her behind didn't matter to him: It's not like she could escape the cave they were staying in: the only way in or out was by Teleporting, which Nellie couldn't do on her own. And if she was brought along, she would no doubt be reduced to dead weight, again.

Runefor looked up at the night sky. It was completely covered in storm clouds. With a crack of Lightning and a roar of thunder, the storm started. In a matter of moments, the city was pelted by heavy rain. Most of the water was blocked by the floating buildings in the sky that the dragons inhabited. However, Runefor was standing in a spot that was completely exposed to the elements.

Rain poured allover the White dragons body. For a moment, Runefor shut his eyes and relaxed as the biting cold water bombarded his body. He shivered as the liquid ice flowed down his scales and onto the ground. He sighed peacefully.

_**Lovely…**_, he thought to himself. _**I must remember to have thunderstorms as brilliant as this one when I recreate the world.**_

Suddenly, Runefor heard someone approaching from the air. He opened his eyes to see two adult dragons flying towards him. He rolled out of the way just as both dragons attacked with blasts of Fire breath.

Runefor growled at the interlopers.

"Interrupt my relaxation, will you?" He growled. He immediately opened his mouth and struck the first dragon with Blood Lightning, killing him in a matter of moments. Meanwhile, the second dragon charged at the White dragon, firing another blast of Fire breath. Runefor instantly teleported to the other side of the dragon and struck him with another blast of Blood Lightning. In seconds, the dragon was dead.

Runefor scoffed.

"Nothing more than a waste of my time.." He sneered.

The White dragon looked up at the sky, searching for any one else who might try to attack him. When he saw no one else approaching, he grinned.

"Good." Runefor looked to the center of the city, towards the FTC HQ. "I suppose my time for relaxation has come to an end. There's work to be done."

Runefor walked towards the FTC HQ, taking his sweet time so that he may enjoy the rainfall.

For a good while, the trip was uneventful. There were no other beings of any kind to be seen anywhere, dragon or otherwise. Runefor almost wondered where they were, but in all honesty, he didn't care.

"They would just be a nuisance anyway." He decided.

However, after getting close to the center building, Runefor heard something sneaking up on him. No, _several_ somethings. And they were close by.

"What..?"

Runefor quickly turned around just in time to see a black monster flying straight towards him. In almost an instant, the White dragon slashed his talons through the air, and the beast was dead. It was a Crepsculus.

Runefor looked around. All around him, Crepsculi were crawling out of portals of Darkness. The White dragon snarled.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" He exclaimed. "Who invited **you**?"

Of course, they didn't answer. They only attacked.

Immediately, Runefor started running around the street, blasting the Crepsculi with various Magical attacks: Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind, Earth, and several other. He was careful not to use the same over repeatedly: The last thing he wanted to deal with was a Crep-gigas.

After killing several dozen Crepsculi, Runefor discovered that more and more kept coming.

"I don't have time for this bullshit!" He shouted.

With a snap of his talons, Runefor teleported in a cloud of Purple smoke clear across the street, right before the FTC HQ's front steps. When the Crepsculi realized where he went, they hissed in rage and rapidly flew towards him. As they did this, Runefor just stood in place, charging Magical energy and glowing Green…

When the Crepsculi were only feet away, Runefor unleashed a Fury attack: Wind Fury.

A massive, Green, sideways Tornado exploded out of the White dragon's mouth. The Crepsculi were completely helpless as they were sent flying backwards through the air, spinning round and round at an alarming rate. During the Fury, chunks of the street and several buildings were ripped off and sent flying uncontrollably through the air as well. Rain water was sucked off the ground and pooled together in the air.

When the Fury came to its end, the Crepsculi had been blown all the way out of the city and into the distant ocean. A massive path of destruction was left in the Tornado's wake.

Runefor laughed.

"Well, **that's** certainly going to get someone's attention!" He chuckled. The White dragon turned around and approached the front doors of the FTC building. "Time to make my **REAL** entrance!"

As soon as Runefor got close to the front doors, he unleashed a blast of Earth breath, blasting the doors of their hinges and several feet backwards. The White dragon casually walked into the building's Lobby.

"Helloooooo!" He chided. "I've got an appointment with the head honcho. Could someone show me the way to his office?"

The Lobby was filled with several dozen dragons of various Elements, presumably standing guard. When they saw Runefor, they immediately leapt into attack.

"That's not what I'd call good customer service."

Runefor dodged around their various elemental attacks as if they were nothing. At the same time, he slashed and clawed at their necks and throats, killing them quickly yet painfully. He knew better than to waste what remained of his Magical Energy: He'd need it to take down Lucrun.

After the last of the dragons was slain, Runefor took the time to go around the room and absorb as much Magical energy as possible from the bodies. No sense in wasting perfectly good Convexity energy. It was a shame that there wasn't much of the stuff in most of the dragons.

"They must have been adults already." Runefor assumed. "It's funny how children are more powerful than adults. Go figure."

Once he was done, Runefor proceeded to explore the building, searching for Lucrun's "Lair" or "chamber" or whatever the Purple bastard was calling it.

As he searched the many hallways and passages, Runefor was getting irritated. He often found himself getting lost, wandering through hallways that he had already been through. But it wasn't completely boring: along the way, Runefor encountered several more wandering dragons, and a few Crepsculi as well. One by one, the Crepsculi and dragons fell dead by his paws, the latter of which providing the White dragon with scraps of Convexity.

After a good half hour of wandering, Runefor's patience had reached its end. He roared in rage.

"I'm tired of this crap!" He roared. The White dragon started charging magical energy. "It's time to start blowing the SHIT outta this place!"

Runefor started blasting the walls with mighty blasts of Earth. He proceeded to blow holes in any wall he came across, which was often. His reasoning was, if there were no walls, then he wouldn't feel like he was trapped in a maze. Of course, this garnered the attention of practically every dragon and Crepsculi in the building.

Soon, Runefor found himself slaughtering a mass number of Crepsculi and dragons. The White dragon started absorbing more and more Convexity, which made him start moving faster. He also started destroying the floors and ceilings instead of just the walls.

If he hadn't gotten Lucrun's attention yet, he certainly must have now.

Soon, after having caused massive destruction to a good percentage of the building, Runefor came to a pair of double doors that seemed much more elegant then what he had seen up to that point.

"This must be Lucrun's chamber." Runefor said. He prepared another round of Earth breath. "Let's pay him a visit!"

Runefor unleashed the Earth blast and blew the two doors off their hinges. The White dragon then stepped inside.

It was a grand room, much like what one would expect a king to have. The ceiling was intricately painted with a massive arrangement of various dragons doing various things. At the center of the ceiling was the massive image of a Purple dragon with seven black horns holding the world in one forepaw, and standing on a massive pile of gold. Multiple balls of fire lined up around the room kept it illuminated. The walls were decorated with expensive-looking trinkets and paintings. The Floor was covered in a massive White rug. Piles of Bronze, Silver and Gold coins were scattered allover the place.

On the other side of the room, a Large Purple dragon sat on a Golden cushion, which was surrounded by more piles of Gold. A several female dragons were lying on the floor near the Purple dragon, feeding him various pieces of fruit. Runefor had no doubt who this guy was: Lucrun the Gilded.

Lucrun was a muscular Purple dragon, taller than Malefor, yet shorter than Runileon. He had a pitch black underbelly and Golden talons. He had seven black horns: One in the top of his head that pointed backwards like a Lightning bolt, and six more in rows of two that dotted the back side of his head and neck, which were also shaped like lightning bolts. A vast array of sharp Golden spikes ran down his back and all the way to his tail tip. The "whites" of his eyes were Blood Red, and he had demonic Irises, like Malefor. He had a Golden spear tip on his tail. He wore a massive amount of Golden jewelry on his ankles and around his neck, and a Golden Helm protected his face. He also wore strange metal Gloves on his forepaws.

The Purple and White dragons stared at each other for a time as Runefor stepped closer to Lucrun. He didn't seem all that surprised to see White dragon. When the Great Purple dragon spoke, he had a demonic voice.

"You're that little White Beast that made a deal with Bergan."

"Yes, I am!" Runefor replied, grinning. Lucrun glared.

"Why have you come here?' He asked. Runefor chuckled.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked. "I've come to be a real pain in the ass!"

"Why?"

"Why? Hmmm…" Runefor pretended to think about it. "Well, I suppose it just seemed like the right thing for a White dragon to do…"

"No, I mean, why waste your time?" The White dragon cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, 'waste my time'?"

Lucrun got up from his Golden cushion and stepped forwards a bit.

"The other Victiumirti and I are about to usher in a new era. There is no point in trying to stop us. Anyone who wishes to survive our wrath must swear fealty to us."

"Is that a fact?" Runefor asked sarcastically.

"I am well aware of your capabilities, Rune. You have proven yourself to be quite the capable dragon, especially considering how you received power from two of our number. Join our cause, and you'll be treated as a God among mortals in the new world!"

Runefor looked up at the Purple dragon. After a short while, he chuckled, confusing Lucrun. And then, the White dragon's chuckling turned to Laughter.

"What is so funny?" He demanded. Rune calmed down and started talking.

"'Join you'? FAT CHANCE! I'm not about to share my plans of ultimate conquest of the world with a bunch of Washed-up, Asinine, ass-licking imbeciles like **YOU**! Oh, I'll be heralded as a God among mortals, alright, because I'm actually going to BE a God! This is **MY** world, and no one else's!"

Lucrun snarled.

"You just made a grave mistake, you Whelp!" He bellowed.

Lucrun held out his right forepaw in the air. Almost instantly, a cloud of Purple smoke appeared around his paw. When it faded, a six-foot longsword with a Purple hilt and a Golden blade appeared in Lucrun's paw. The Great Purple dragon then lifted his wings, and levitated into the air. Runefor chuckled.

"So, you wield a sword too…" He chided. "Oh, if only I hadn't left mine back in the Pit of the fallen…"

"Quit speaking and DIE!" Lucrun bellowed.

In an instant, The Great Purple dragon vanished on a cloud of Purple smoke, only to reappear behind Runefor, stabbing his sword downwards to impale the White dragon. Runefor teleported away just a split second before getting ran through with the sword.

As Lucrun's Longsword stabbed the rug, Runefor reappeared a short distance away, charging Convexity energy to attack.

"That's a cheap little trick!" The White dragon said. "I've go to remember that."

Lucrun freed his sword from the ground and rapidly flew towards Runefor, swinging his sword with incredible speed. Runefor dodged out of the way, coming to a stop a few yards away. He then shot several small Purple orbs of energy at Lucrun in rapid succession. Assuming they were bombs of some sort, the Purple dragon used his sword to slash them in half before they got too close. Lucrun then charged forwards, swinging his sword like a mad-drake.

The dragonesses fled from the room as the Purple and White dragons continued their battle, Lucrun trying to slice his opponent into pieces with his longsword, and Runefor trying to attack from a distance with multiple different Convexity attacks. Through out the battle, several piles of coins were blasted into smithereens.

At one point in the battle, Runefor managed to blast Lucrun's sword out of his paw with a lucky shot with a Convexity beam, sending it flying across the room. Both dragons made a grab for it. When this happened, Lucrun and Runefor attacked with a Convexity beam at the same time, and the two attacks collided right above the sword.

As the two attacks moved back and forth, both dragons carefully stepped closer to the sword, careful not to move to fast, of their attack would lose control. It seemed like Lucrun was going to win, so Runefor decided to cheat. He charged Convexity energy into his left forepaw, and held it out towards Lucrun. Before the Purple dragon could react, the White dragon fired a secondary Convexity beam out of his palm, which struck the Purple dragon square in the chest and threw him off-balance. This in turn caused Lucrun's attack to falter, allowing Runefor's first Convexity beam to strike the Purple dragon in the face.

As Lucrun went flying backwards, Runefor ran forwards and grabbed hold of the sword.

"AHA!" He gloated. "What's yours is MINE, bitch!" He turned to face Lucrun, and grimaced.

The Purple dragon was charging his magical energy, and way starting to Glow and even brighter Purple. Lucrun smirked.

"Feel the true power of Convexity!" He bellowed.

"Shit."

An instant later, a massive amount of Convexity energy exploded out of Lucrun's body. Immediately, Runefor summoned a protective shield around himself, but he was still sent flying backwards. The entire room was completely destroyed, as was the rest of the FTC's main building and several buildings that immediately surrounded it.

After the energy faded, the FTC Headquarters, as well as any beings still inside it during the explosion, was no more. Instead, all that remained was a smoking crater with a two hundred yard radius.

Somewhere near the center of the crater, Runefor was lying on his back. He was still holding onto the sword. Rain water pelted his body again, keeping him from falling unconscious.

Runefor slowly picked himself up, swearing.

"Fuck. I guess you Victiumirti really **are** powerful." The White dragon looked around to face Lucrun. However, he didn't seem to be around.

"Where'd he go?" He asked, partially annoyed.

Suddenly, Lucrun appeared behind Runefor, grabbed him by his mane, lifted him into the air, and proceeded to punch the White dragon several times in the face, causing Runefor to drop the sword.

The Purple dragon then leaned back and tossed Runefor with incredible speed, sending him flying across the crater. He then leaned down and picked up his sword.

"Nobody wields this blade except for **ME**!' He roared. Lucrun then took to the air and flew towards Runefor, who was still on the ground. He thought he finally had the chance to deliver the killing blow..

However, this was a trick. As Lucrun approached, Runefor was charging Magical Energy. When the Purple dragon got close enough, Runefor fired a blast of Convexity right into Lucrun's face before he could dodge.

Lucrun was tossed off balance, dropping his sword in the process. Runefor took to flight and plucked the sword out of the air. By this time, Lucrun had righted himself. The White dragon pointed the sword at the Purple dragon.

"Maybe _this_ time I can put this thing to use!" He declared. Runefor then charged at Lucrun, ready to slice him into pieces.

The Purple dragon immediately flew directly upwards, using the Wind element to fly high into the sky, past the Floating buildings of the upper layers of the city and up to the Black storm clouds. As Runefor charged after him, Lucrun started charging energy again.

However, Runefor realized what he was doing much earlier this time and stopped in midair between a few floating buildings.

"Not this time!" He shouted.

The White dragon started charging his own energy as he waited for Lucrun to attack. He was expecting the Purple dragon to use another Fury. However, that wasn't what he was planning.

Lucrun created an Orb of Convexity energy, which quickly grew to massive size: It was big enough to hold an entire building within it. Runefor was dumbstruck.

"Let's see how cocky you are after being completely OBLITERATED!" Lucrun roared. The Purple dragon had the giant Convexity Bomb plummet out of the sky, towards the White dragon.

Runefor had only seconds to act. He created a Convexity shield around himself and flew upwards, directly towards the giant Bomb. He shut his eyes as he and the Bomb got close together.

_**This had better work…**_

Runefor flew directly into the Bomb. As he continued flying upwards, he did his best to cause the Massive Convexity energy flowing around him to mix with his Convexity shield and allow him to pass through unharmed.

A few seconds later, Runefor made it safely through the Convexity Bomb and continued flying towards Lucrun, who had a surprised look on his face. Before the Purple dragon could act, Runefor ran the sword through his chest. Lucrun roared in agony.

At that very moment, the Convexity Bomb exploded far below, filling the city with a great Purple light and Completely destroying several of the floating buildings.

Runefor grinned evilly. He began spinning in a circle, causing Lucrun to spin around him, gaining faster momentum with every turnaround. In a moment, the Purple dragon was rapidly spinning around the White one. And then, when his opponent was spinning fast enough, Runefor let go of the sword, sending Lucrun hurtling towards the earth at rapid speed. He then took off after the Purple dragon, careful not to go to fast.

Lucrun freefell through the clouds of smoke and debris and plummeted to the crater below. He then crashed into the center of the crater so hard, the ground beneath him cracked.

Runefor came to a hard landing nearby, and walked up to the dying Lucrun. The Purple dragon bled from every Orifice, and was on his last few ounces of breath. The White dragon rolled Lucrun onto his back and grabbed hold of the sword hilt with both forepaws.

"As I said before," Runefor taunted, "This is **MY** World!"

"Damn….you…" Lucrun sneered weakly.

"And since this is my world, I'll be needing every ounce of Convexity I can find to conquer it!"

Runefor then drove the sword deeper into Lucrun's flesh, his yellow eyes glowing Purple. Almost immediately, Lucrun's Convexity energy started flowing out of his body, through the sword, and into the White dragon. The amount that the Purple dragon had was much larger than the scraps he could obtain from the normal dragons.

But he didn't stop there: Runefor absorbed every last bit of Life energy that Lucrun had. The Purple dragon used the last of his rapidly depleting strength to swear at the White dragon.

"May…you…forever…Rot…"

And then, he was gone.

Runefor removed the sword form the dead dragon's chest, a satisfied look on his face.

"One down, six to go." He said smugly.

The White dragon shut his eyes. He could feel a massive amount of energy flowing around inside him. It made him giddy.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" He exclaimed. He opened his eyes and looked around at the city of Faeshrine. He could here dragons approaching from all sides in the distance. "And now, to deal with the rest of them."

Runefor levitated up into the air, so that he was level with the street. He held his sword directly upwards at the sky. After charging his energy, Runefor made the sword blade become engulfed in a Green Fire.

And then, the Green Fire became a massive Pillar of Fire, which extended high into the sky and grew to have a radius of ten yards.

Runefor then swung the sword rapidly downwards, causing the Pillar of Green Fire to burn right through several floating Platforms that were still in the air, and crash violently into the ground, engulfing all of the buildings that it hit in a raging green inferno. The White dragon then spun his sword in a circle, causing the Green Inferno to spread throughout the entire city.

The entire lower layer of Faeshrine was in flames.

Runefor could here hundreds of dragons fly into the air. Some of them were lucky enough to escape the inferno, while others roaring in agony as they were burned alive. The survivors flew to the few remaining floating platforms in hopes of escaping.

But there was no haven to be found for them.

Runefor took to the skies and proceeded to destroy all of the remaining platforms with his massive Green Pillar of Flames. He laughed manically as the Platforms fell to the burning city.

"Now it's time for the grand finale." He said.

The White dragon flew over to the southeastern edge of Faeshrine, where it met the southern ocean and the tip of the Tarune Forest, and started flying around the edge of the forest. As he did this, he used the Green Pillar of Flames to ignite the countless trees he saw on fire. He did this for a good half hour, spreading the Green Inferno all around the city.

When he was done, and the Green Pillar ran out of energy to go on, Runefor looked at the destruction he caused.

The Ancient city of Faeshrine was now nothing more than a raging Green Inferno, and the fire was rapidly spreading across the Tarune Forest. When Runefor shut his eyes, he could hear the sound of thousands of beings crying out in agony as their lives burned to a crisp.

The White dragon laughed.

"My business is done." He said. "Time to go home for a little 'victory party'."

And with that, Runefor snapped his talons, and vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke.

The City of Faeshrine was destroyed. And soon, other lands would follow suit.


	9. Act 1, Chapter 8

Act 1, Chapter 8

The next morning…

"YOU HIGHNESS! LORD SPYRO!" A dragon scout ran like a mad-drake into the main chamber of Warfang Temple, screaming frantically. Urobos and Spyro watched the man as he struggled to catch his breath before them, concern on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Spyro demanded.

Once the scout had regained his breath, he told them his news.

"Something terrible has befallen the Tarune Forest!" He declared.

"Elaborate." Urobos demanded.

"A few hours ago, we spotted smoke clouds forming on the Eastern horizon. We sent several Space dragons to investigate. When they arrived, they found that the entire Forest had been burned to the ground!"

Urobos and Spyro's eyes lit up in shock.

"Impossible!" Spyro exclaimed.

"I speak the truth, my lord!"

"The whole forest?" Urobos asked.

"There is nothing left! As far as the eye can see, the land is scorched black! The bones of countless animals litter the ground, and worst of all: Faeshrine is gone!"

"WHAT?"

"The city is gone! The only way we knew it had ever been there was the couple of ruined buildings that used to stand there . The earth may as well be salted, for all the life that could be there."

Urobos and Spyro exchanged glances, disgust on their faces.

"So, Lucrun burned the city of Faeshrine to the ground.." The King said solemnly.

"That is incorrect, you highness." The Black dragon's eyes lit with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Spyro asked.

"Lucrun is dead." The scout answered.

"Dead?" Urobos and Spyro exclaimed in unison.

"We found the purple dragon's body lying in the center of a massive crater in the center of the ruins. Someone had stabbed him to death with a large object through his heart, although the muder weapon couldn't be found anywhere on the scene. We don't know who could have been who killed him."

Urobos and Spyro exchanged glances again.

"This is most serious." Spyro said.

"Indeed." Urobos turned back to the scout. "You may leave."

The dragon bowed and left the room. Urobos sat in thought.

"What do you believe we should do?" Purple dragon asked.

"Clearly, this is only a sign of things to come." Urobos said. "It is only a matter of time before destruction spreads all across the northern continent, especially considering that Desysto and his army of White dragons is bound to head here to Warfang."

"What makes you believe that?" Spyro asked. Urobos held out his right forepaw and summoned his longsword.

"Clearly the Victiumirti will soon discover that their comrade has fallen. They won't know who killed him, but they may assume that we were involved in, if not the ones who committed, Lucrun's murder."

"You believe that Lucrun was slain with a sword?"

"Yes. They said. "After all, they said that he seemed to be stabbed through the heart. Only a powerful dragon could have overcome a fully grown Purple dragon such as Lucrun. And I am possibly the only dragon alive who wields a sword. It's quite possible that the Victiumirti will believe that _I_ was the one to kill Lucrun, and launch an attack on Warfangg for revenge."

"An attack on Warfang is inevitable."

"Perhaps, but now they will have a valid reason."

"As if they would need a reason to cause destruction and ruin."

"Aye." Urobos sent his sword away. "In any case, we need to prepare the civilians."

"In case one of the Victiumirti attacks, correct? Then I shall prepare them for counter-attack." Urobos shook his head.

"No. We need to flee the Warfang."

Spyro was taken aback by this.

"You would take the cowardly approach?" He exclaimed.

"It is not cowardice," the Black dragon responded. "It is intelligence."

"Intelligence?"

"The Victiumirti have an army of White dragons under their control, correct? Then there's nothing stopping them from using this army to attack our city. A White dragon is a force to be reckoned with on its own. In mass numbers, they will be all the more unstoppable."

"Perhaps that _is_ a valid point." Spyro said.

"There is more to it." Urobos replied. "Consider this: Each and every one of those White dragons is only a young hatchling that has been twisted by Bergan's Convexity energy. Even if we are able to fight them off, we would be killing young children who are only being _forced_ to serve the Victiumirti. And I refuse to have the blood of children stain my paws."

Spyro only looked at Urobos for a moment.

"What would you have your people do, then?" The Purple dragon asked.

"We need to flee from Warfang and travel south, to the city of Glenhaven. If we leave early enough, we may be able to get away before the Victiumirti attack, thus buying us some time until they discover where we've vanished off to."

"What shall we do once we're arrived in Glenhaven?"

"Once we're in Glenhaven, we'll need to think of a way to remove the corruption from the White hatchlings, as well as the other children forced into servitude."

"If that is what you believe should be done, then I will stand by it."

Urobos and Spyro proceeded to walk towards the doorway.

"We will have a lot of work to do." The Purple dragon said.

"I'll be the one to prepare the citizens, while you contact Cynder and tell her what's happened to Faeshrine."

"Agreed."

As the two aged dragons walked out of the Main Chamber, they had no idea they were being spied upon. High up near the top of one of the chamber's great windows, a White dragoness had stood watch for the past several minutes. It was Adpetis.

The dragoness chuckled to herself.

"Interesting." She said, grinning. "Bergan will certainly want to know about this."

And so, she disappeared in a cloud of Purple smoke.

...

Later that day, in the Valley of Avalar…

Desysto sat in the middle of the Wooden Hut he used as his temporary stronghold, basking in his own glory.

Desysto was a Purple dragon with a black underbelly. He was incredibly chubby, and yet still able to move as fast as a normal dragon. He had a large black crest that ran from the top of his head, down his back, and to the tip of his tail, which had a Black spike on the end. He had two thick Bronze horns, which curled backwards down his thick neck. His two Golden eyes gleamed like fire.

After the initial attack on the first village in the Valley of Avalar, Desysto quickly spread his forces out to eradicate all Non-dragon beings living in the rest of the Valley. It was a relatively quick process, considering the power that the army of White dragons held. In the meantime, Desysto remained in the first village, enjoying the power he had obtained.

Desysto sighed in content.

"This is how it should have been long ago." He said. "After tens of centuries, I am finally getting my dues."

Long ago, when Desysto was a young dragon, the elders of his time expected many great things from him. However, all the young Purple dragon wished to do was lie on the grass and enjoy the scenery around him. But time and again, the older dragons forced Desysto to train his Physical and Magical Capabilities, day in and day out. Eventually, the Purple dragon became so frustrated with this constant responsibility, he fled from the temple he was living in, seeking a new home.

But everywhere he went, the many dragons and Nondragons he encountered kept trying to force Desysto to use his Magic to aid others, usually for next to nothing in return. He demanded that others do the work instead of him, since he didn't wish to do anything. But they didn't listen, and continued to badger him to "uphold the mantle of the Purple dragon".

Eventually, the Purple dragon declared a vendetta on all other beings, refusing to be their pack mule. This is when Desysto fell to the influence of The Nothing.

Desysto used The Nothing's power to create a race of gigantic creatures known as the Golems, which he sent to bring destruction an death to the many beings that oppressed him in his youth. One of these Golems, the largest one of all, was named The Destroyer.

The Destroyer was the size of a mountain, and had several buildings placed onto its back, which Desysto used as his personal fortress. The Purple dragon planned to use this creature to bring an end to the world he lived in, so that a new one may be created; one where Desysto could have his peace at last.

However, before The Destroyer could complete its primary ability, called the Ring of annihilation, a band of dragons managed to infiltrate Desysto's lair and, after a great climatic battle, slew him. He ended up in the Underworld, where he was tormented by the Spirits of his ancestors, who constantly forced Desysto's spirit to keep moving onwards, never letting him stop to rest.

But then, after countless decades of torture, Desysto was resurrected by the Purple dragon Bergan. Desysto was given all the minions he needed to destroy the descendants of the beings who tormented him, so that **he** may finally sit back and relax. Desysto was most grateful for this, and became completely loyal to Bergan.

And here he was, resting comfortably in his base of operations, enjoying the cool breeze and the lovely afternoon.

"Let's see how my minions are doing." He said, to no one in particular.

Desysto got up and walked out of his hut and into the village. After it was taken over and the Cats that lived there were disposed of, the White dragons had turned it into a training camp. All around the Purple dragon, the many White-hided beasts that remained were practicing their combat techniques. Desysto smirked.

"Ah, doing fine, as always." He chuckled.

The Purple dragon was about to return to his hut when he gasped. He could sense someone approaching. He looked around, searching for the place they'd appear.

A moment later, a large cloud of Purple smoke appeared off to his left. Out of it stepped two dragons: Bergan and Adpetis.

"Greetings, Desysto." Bergan said as he and the Female approached him.

"Welcome." The fat Purple dragon responded. "What brings you two here?"

"A change of plans." Adpetis answered. Desysto cocked an eyebrow in interest.

"Change of plans?" He asked.

"It has recently come to our attention," Bergan began, "That our comrade Lucrun has fallen in battle." Desysto's eyes lit with shock.

"He's been slain? By who?"

"We aren't completely sure," Adpetis replied, "But it's highly likely that it was Runileon's great grandson, as he is the one who's most capable of accomplishing the deed."

"If Lucrun's dead, then our plans have just become greatly hindered." Desysto declared sternly. "We will need to hunt down that boy and exact retribution."

"There's no need to worry about Prince Rune, Desysto." Bergan said. "Leave that one to me. For now, you have new orders."

"What might they be?" the fat Purple dragon asked.

"The people of Warfang are about to attempt to flee to the south." Adpetis replied. "They think they will be able to escape before we launch an attack on their city. However…"

Desysto grinned.

"However, they don't realize that we already know they're about to flee." The fat Purple dragon finished. "So, we can attack them as they're trying to get away, catching them off-guard and completely defenseless."

"Correct." Bergan replied.

"But what does that have to do with me?"

"You see, Desysto, we need you to take your army of White dragons to Warfang as soon as possible. In the meantime, Adpetis will take over your conquest of the rest of the Valley of Avalar and the Raunn Jungle. Do you find that reasonable?"

"I find it completely reasonable." Desysto answered. "I shall rally the White dragons immediately."

Desysto turned and walked towards the middle of the village. He then inhaled a great breath of air and shouted at them.

"Here me now, dragons!" He bellowed with an augmented voice, getting their attention immediately.

"There has been a change of plans! We will be heading East to the Veros Outskirts, and the ancient city of Warfang that sits at its center! I want half of you to spread the word to the other White dragons who reside in nearby villages, and tell them all to regroup at the eastern edge of the Valley! These orders are FINAL! Now GO!"

On command, half of the White dragons in the village took to the skies and scattered, heading out to the other villages that fell under Desysto's control. In the meantime, the fat Purple dragon turned back around and walked back to Bergan and Adpetis.

"Do the others know about Lucrun's demise?" He asked.

"Amouris does, but not Runileon or Malefor." Bergan answered.

"Will you be reviving him again?"

"Well, it all depends." Desysto cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"If The Nothing wants him revived, then I'll revive him. If The Nothing believes he's served his purpose, then I'll leave him in the Underworld."

"How do you know which one The Nothing wants?"

"I don't. I'll have to ask it, when I return to the Realm of Convexity."

"If you say so."

Amouris placed a forepaw on Bergan's shoulder.

"Bergan, darling, we have work that needs to be finished." She said. "We must go." The Golden-maned dragon smirked.

"As you wish." He replied.

"And when we return, there's a matter that I need to speak to you about."

"Oh?"

"It involves the other prince. The one you were talking to me about earlier." Bergan became intrigued.

"I certainly must hear what you wish to say about him once we arrive." He turned to face Desysto. "This is where we take our leave of you, Desysto."

The fat Purple dragon nodded.

"Good day, you two." He replied.

And with that, Bergan and Adpetis vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke. Desysto sighed, and returned to his hut.

He began planning the invasion of Warfang.

…

Late that night…

Tyrrany found herself standing in the middle of a giant black abyss. It stretched onwards for miles in every direction. Not a sound could be heard anywhere, except for the dragoness's own breathing. A great White Light shined down from high above her.

The White dragoness looked around, trying to figure out where she was.

"Hello?.." She asked, hoping to find someone. "Where am I? How did I get here?"

As she looked around, she suddenly spotted someone that made her gasp. Off in the distance, a dark grey dragoness had her back turned towards Tyrrany. The dragoness had pitch-black hair, and four dark grey horns.

It was Elenar.

"Mother!" Tyrrany exclaimed. "You're alive!"

The White dragoness immediately ran towards the dark grey dragoness, joy filling her entire being.

But, as she got close to her Elenar, the dark grey dragoness spoke.

"Don't touch me." she said coldly. Tyrrany came to a stop a short distance away from Elenar.

"Mother?" Tyrrany asked, confused.

"You are not my daughter." Elenar said, still not looking away. "You never were, and you never will be."

Tyrrany was hurt by this statement. She walked around the dark grey dragoness's right side and reached up with her left forepaw to grab Elenar's shoulder.

"Mother, how can you-?"

Suddenly, Tyrrany noticed something strange about her foreleg. It was much shorter and chubbier than it should have been.

"What..?"

When Tyrrany heard her own voice, it was much younger than it should have been. The White dragoness then looked herself over: To her surprise, she was a young hatchling again.

"What's happened to me, mother?" She asked.

"You are **not** my daughter." She repeated, still looking away. "Leave my presence."

The young Tyrrany started to cry. She got closer to Elenar and reached out to grab the back of the dark grey dragoness's foreleg.

"But-" She began.

As soon as Tyrrany touched Elenar's leg, the dark dragoness suddenly spun around and struck her, knocking the cub onto her back several feet away. Tyrrany cried in pain as Elenar stood over her, looking down at the young hatchling with red eyes filled with hate.

"YOU ARE **NOT** MY DAUGHTER!" She bellowed. "YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A **BASTARD CHILD**!"

Tyrrany whimpered in fear as Elenar screamed at her.

"WHY WOULD I EVER ACCEPT YOU AS MY CHILD? LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE A WHITE-HIDED **DEMON**! THE PRODUCT OF A CURSE ON MY BLOODLINE! A BLIGHT ON ALL THE WOLRD! YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE ACCEPTED AS MY CHILD! YOU DO NOT EVEN DESERVE TO **LIVE**!"

Tyrrany cried a river of tears.

"But, I…" She stammered. "I.."

"**SILENCE**!" Elenar roared. "I'LL KILL YOU, HERE AND NOW!"

Elenar grabbed hold of Tyrrany's small torso with one forepaw and lifted her into the air, digging her talons into the hatchling's flesh. The White hatchling started writhing about, crying in pain.

"Stop, please.." She pleaded. "Don't do it…"

The Dark grey dragoness snarled at her.

"ROT!"

Elenar started tightening her grip, crushing the life out of Tyrrany. The hatchling could feel her bones start crack under the pressure.

The pain was unbearable. She wished for someone, anyone, for her to save her.

And then, from out of nowhere, a dragon struck Elenar across the face and knocking her off-balance. As the dark grey dragoness toppled over, she let Tyrrany slip out of her grip. The mysterious dragon snatched the young hatchling out of the air and held her by the gruff of her neck.

When Tyrrany finally got a good look at the dragon, she gasped.

It was Bergan.

The Purple dragon smiled down at the White hatchling, using his magic to heal her wounds.

"You're safe now." He said reassuringly.

Elenar righted herself and stood in a fighting stance, ready to attack the two dragons. Tyrrany shivered in fear, both because of her mother's ferocity, and because she was trapped in her monstrous father's grasp.

Elenar roared like a wild animal, making Tyrrany yelp in fear. Bergan, however, only chuckled.

"It's alright, Tyrrany." He said soothingly. "She can't hurt you."

"What?" The hatchling asked, confused.

"Your mother can't hurt you anymore." Bergan answered. "You killed her, remember?"

Right after Bergan said this, a black sword suddenly appeared, the hilt sticking out of Elenar's chest. The dark grey dragoness suddenly clutched her chest, the wound bleeding profusely. In a short moment, she fell to the ground, and moved no more.

Tyrrany gasped in horror, while Bergan chuckled again.

"See, my dear?" He asked, pointing with a free talon. "You've gotten your revenge on her for killing you."

"No!" Tyrrany protested. "I didn't want to kill her!"

"Of course you did." Bergan replied. "You've wanted to kill her for so long, so why deny it after you've completed your goal?"

"Because you lied to me!" The Purple dragon chuckled.

"True, I may have hidden a few minor details here and there.."

"Minor details?" Tyrrany exclaimed. "You lied about **everything**!" Bergan laughed.

"It doesn't matter now anyway, my dear. Elenar is dead by your paws, and the other members of your family view you a traitor. Look.." Bergan pointed out to the abyss.

Tyrrany turned to look in the direction he was pointing in. What she saw frightened her.

Tyrrany's two brothers, Rune and Cyrus, and their father and grandfather, Bane and Urobos, were standing across the way. Elenar's two friends, Albanion and Elza, with them as well.

All of the dragons were glaring directly at Tyrrany.

"Traitor!" Cyrus exclaimed.

"She-beast!" Elza bellowed.

"You killed my wife!" Bane roared.

All of the dragons voiced their hatred of Tyrrany, making the hatchling cry.

"No…" She pleaded. "I didn't mean to…"

But the dragons didn't listen. They only continued condemning her with their words. Tyrrany looked away, her tears overflowing.

"Don't cry, Tyrrany." Bergan said soothingly. "Even if _they_ have condemned you, _I _haven't."

Suddenly, the other dragons vanished, although their hateful outcries still lingered on for a moment.

"You will always be my little girl." As Bergan said that, he grinned malevolently, and his eyes glowed completely red.

Suddenly, several pairs of Glowing red eyes appeared around Tyrrany, forming a cicrle in the abyss. And then, several dragons appeared, the red eyes belonging to them: Lucrun, Desysto, Malefor, Amouris, Amouris, Adpetis and Runileon.

Bergan held Tyrrany out in front of him, so that the other Victumirti surrounded her. The hatchling whimpered in fear as the dragons grinned at her.

"There's no need to let the weaker dragons condemn you, Tyrrany." Amouris said.

"Agree to serve under us." Desysto added.

"You will be protected from you enemies." Adpetis replied.

"No…" Tyrrany said. "I'll never join you!"

"You don't have a choice, Tyrrany." Runileon responded.

"If you don't obey us, we'll kill you." Lucrun added.

"Of course, we could always just FORCE you!" Malefor exclaimed. Tyrrany's eyes lit up in horror.

"No…" She said. The Victiumirti started to laugh softly in unison.

"You can't flee from us, Tyrrany." Bergan said. "You belong to us."

"No!" The White hatchling protested.

All seven of the Victiumitri laughed at the helpless dragoness. As their horrible laughter filled the air, Tyrrany screamed.

"NO! I WON'T JOIN YOU! NOOOOO!"

No matter how much she protested and clawed at Bergan's grip. Tyrrany couldn't get free. She was trapped in the Purple dragon's control, and completely at the Victiumirtis' mercy…

And then, Tyrrany woke with a start, breathing heavily. She looked around: She was lying on the floor of the cave, in the middle of the night. Denzel was sleeping by her side, mumbling in his sleep.

The dragoness shut her eyes, sighing in relief.

"It was just a dream." She said reassuringly. "A horrible, horrible dream."

Tyrrany laid her head back down on the ground.

"What Malefor said must have gotten to me subconsciously."

The White dragoness shut her eyes and cleared her mind to fall back asleep. But, she couldn't help but think about Elenar, and the day she killed her. Over and over, the events of that day repeated themselves in her mind.

_Oh, mother_, she thought._ I'm so sorry I killed you. I just wish I could bring you back, like Rune did. But I'd never be able to now._

After feeling sorry for herself and shedding a silent tears, the White dragoness slipped into slumber.

The next day, she would receive another unexpected visit, by another unexpected person.

Her brother.


	10. Act 1, Chapter 9

Act 1, Chapter 9

The Raunn Jungle...

Runefor hid behind a pair of think jungle trees. He was watching a group of dragons and a few cheetahs travel across a large clearing in the Jungle. The group had a large amount of livestock with them, which consisted of Pigs, Cows, Goats, and other such animals.

Ever since Desysto took over the Valley of Avalar, the many Cats and few dragons that lived there fled in all directions. Some fled to Warfang, while others chose to flee into the Raunn Jungle. A lot of them brought along the goods and creatures they were tending to in Avalar. This was perfect for Runefor, because it would be easy to pick them off.

The White dragon had already decided on a goat, and had started looking over the dragons. There were four in all: An Orange Fire dragon, a Water dragon, a Lightning dragoness, and a Brown Memory dragon. He was trying to decide which one he preferred.

"Hmmm." He said to himself. "Will it be the Water dragon?..." He shook his head. "Naw, I wouldn't want Nellie to say I'm insensitive. That would be annoying."

Runefor looked at the next dragon.

"Will it be the Fire dragon?..." The White dragon nodded again. "Nope. I'm not in the mood for anything spicy."

That left the Lightning and Memory dragons. Which to choose, which to choose...

Finally, Runefor decided.

"As much as I enjoy eating pussy, I think I'll go for the male today."

Runefor grinned, holding out his right forepaw. His new longsword appeared in a cloud of smoke as he spread his wings for flight.

"Time for breakfast."

In an instant, Runefor appeared in the air near the goat he had selected earlier and ran his sword through its neck, killing it in seconds. An instant later, her appeared floating between the four dragons, causing all of them to jump in surprise and alarm. Before they could react, the White dragon swung his sword and decapitated the Memory dragon.

As the dead dragon fell to the ground, Runefor turned to look at the other dragons, who had gasped in horror at the sight of their slain companion.

"Hello!" Runefor exclaimed, smirking. "How's it going?"

The three dragons turned to flee from the White-hided monster, but Runefor struck them all with a massive blast of Blood Lightning. The White dragon laughed as the dragons twitched in agony.

Suddenly, several arrows impaled Runefor's side. He roared in pain, stopping the Blood Lightning.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" He bellowed.

As Runefor ripped the arrows out of himself, he looked for the person who shot him. He saw the four cheetahs standing a short distance away, surrounded by a strange sphere of blue energy. Three of them were loading more arrows into their crossbows, while the fourth one held a wooden staff and chanting. He must have been a magician.

Runefor growled.

"You are all so very dead!" He roared.

The cheetahs didn't respond. They only fired their arrows again.

Runefor teleported onto the other side of the field, behind the cheetahs. As they were trying to figure out where he went, the White dragon fired a blast of Fire breath at the magic shield.

The energy field struggled against Runefor's attack, but it didn't break. By this time, the cheetahs realized Runefor was behind them, and turned around to attack. Runefor cancelled his attack and rolled out of the way as more arrows flew at him. He got back onto his feet and glared at the Magician. If he was going to kill these interlopers, the Magician would have to fall first.

So, Runefor used his Earth Magic to cause a large earthquake in the immediate area, taking flight to avoid getting effected. All of the Cheetahs lost their balance and fell to the ground, the Magician included. The White dragon flew straight for the cheetah, bombarding his mind with Mental blasts to keep him from regaining his concentration. Before the Magician could save himself, Runefor summoned his sword again and ran it through the cheetah's forehead, killing him.

The White dragon then spun around to face the other three, who were getting up onto their feet. Before they could become a threat again, Runefor struck them all with Blood Lightning, killing all of them.

Soon, Runefor was standing alone in a field of dead bodies. He turned and pulled his sword out of the dead Magician's face, grinning.

"Well, I had to work a little more than I thought I would," Runefor said, "but I still got what I wanted, just like I always do."

The White dragon looked around. Most of the livestock had run away during the fight, except for the Goat he killed and some stupid cows. He chuckled.

Runefor used his Memory magic to cause the Goat's body to levitate. The White dragon then walked over to the dragon he decapitated earlier, sending his sword away as he did so. He grabbed hold of the dragon's tail and started channeling energy.

"Time to go." the White dragon said. "I have to feed Nellie."

And with that, he and the two dead bodies vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke...

...

Nellie sat on the floor of the cave, waiting for Runefor to come back. Almost every morning for the past half-year, the White dragon had been going out to find food for the Blue dragoness, so she wouldn't starve.

"At least he _somewhat_ cares about my well-being." She said solemnly.

Runefor would get food for himself on occasion. Sometimes he ate a goat or a sheep. But other times, he would choose something more... disgusting.

A prime example of the latter showed when Runefor returned from this morning's trip. The White dragon had a goat's body floating in the air near him, and was dragging the decapitated corpse of an adult brown dragon across the floor towards Nellie.

The blue dragoness looked in the other direction, struggling not to throw up.

"Oh lord.." She said distastefully. "Not again.." Runefor chuckled.

"Here's your breakfast, sweetcheeks." He said, grabbing the goat out of the air and tossing it over to her. "Enjoy."

Nellie reached behind herself and grabbed hold of the goat, pulling it in front of her. She absolutely _refused_ to look at Runefor.

As the dragoness began eating the goat, she could hear Runefor tearing away at the body of the dead dragon, consuming its flesh like a wild beast. Nellie shivered at the sound or ripping flesh and sloppy chewing.

Once Nellie had finished her meal, she sat and waited for Runefor to finish his. She still refused to look at him during this.

_How can he not possibly have any qualms about consuming his own kind?_ She thought. _At least I can do my best to avoid looking at the act of cannibalism. Poor Rune. He has to witness it first hand._

"You finished eating, Nellie?" Runefor asked.

"Uh, yes.." The dragoness replied, still looking away. The White dragon chuckled, walking into Nellie's field of vision from behind. He had blood smeared allover his face and forepaws. Nellie shuddered to think about what the dead dragon's remains must have looked like.

"Is something wrong, sweetcheeks?" Runefor asked, cocking an eyebrow at the dragoness's expression.

"Aside from the fact that you've consumed another dragon's flesh," Nellie replied, "Your covered in blood, which looks disgusting." The White dragon chuckled.

"Well then, if I look so unpleasing," Runefor responded, "use your Water magic to wash me off."

"Do it yourself." Nellie snapped. "You should be plenty capable of it."

The White dragon glared. He then grabbed the dragoness's neck, and started choking her. She gagged as she clawed at his paw, trying to get free of his Iron grip.

"You _do_ remember promising to do everything I said, right?" He ask coldly.

"I remember!" Nellie choked out.

"Then DO IT!" Runefor shouted. He tossed Nellie to the floor, leaving a ring of blood on her neck from his paw.

The dragoness got back onto her feet, breathing heavily. Runefor then walked around and faced her from the front. He grinned.

"Make my Hide sparkle, Nellie." He chuckled.

Once Nellie had calmed down, she opened her mouth and used her Water breath to clean the blood from Runefor's paws. Once they were clean, the White dragon leaned in close.

"Now, clean my face." He commanded. The dragoness sighed.

"Alright.." She said solemnly.

Nellie proceeded to wash the blood from Runefor's face. Soon, a small puddle of purple water stained the cave floor.

When Nellie was finished, the White dragon's scales glistened in the light from the floating balls of fire. He smirked, pulled the dragoness closer to him, and kissed her.

"Thanks, sweetcheeks." He said.

"Now what?" Nellie asked.

"Well, now that we're both done eating, and I'm now sparkling clean," Runefor waved a paw in the air, making the black snake necklaces appear around his and Nellie's necks, "We can get ready for our next stop."

"Where would that be?"

"Well, I think It's time to pay a certain dragoness a little visit." Nellie became confused.

"'A certain dragoness'?" She asked. "Who?" Runefor chuckled.

"Oh, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." He responded. "But enough talk: Let's go see her."

Runefor snapped his fingers, and the two dragons teleported away.

…

"Mommy, what are those things?" Denzel asked.

Tyrrany and the young hatchling had left the cave they were staying in to find something to eat. The White dragoness soon discovered that they were near a small village that was hidden away by the mountain peaks. The village was populated by Cheetahs, Tigers, and some Cougars. As Tyrrany was flying around it to avoid entering, her son had pointed the creatures out.

"Those are called 'Cats', Denzel." She answered. "They're a race of creatures that lives alongside the dragons. They come in all different types."

"Are they friendly?"

"Well, dear, it all depends. Some cats are friendly, while others are more reclusive, and don't like dragons to be around them."

"Are _those_ Cats friendly?"

"I don't know, Denzel. That's why we're not going into the village."

The White dragoness flew all the way around the village and found a large clearing just to the north of it.

The Clearing had several flocks of goats wandering around in it. The White dragoness came to a landing over on the western edge of the clearing, hiding behind several trees. Denzel slowly climbed down from her back.

At first, Tyrrany thought it would be simple enough to grab one of them and fly away. But then, she noticed that a few Cheetah herders were watching after the goats. She sighed.

"It looks like I'm going to have to rely on magic." She said.

"Are there any mice, Mommy?" Denzel asked.

"Let me check for a minute, dear."

Tyrrany scanned the clearing from where she stood, trying to find some of the creatures for her hatchling to eat. After looking for a good while, she spotted none.

"Sorry, little one. I don't see any."

"Aww." Denzel said sadly.

"It's okay." his mother said reassuringly. "I'll get you something else to eat."

Tyrrany turned towards the herd of goats and charged a bit of energy. And then, she activated an element that she was reluctant to use: Time.

Almost instantly, the entire world turned a bluish tint. Everything slowed to an almost complete stop. The Cheetah herders nearly stopped in a mid-walk motion. The goats' distant bleating became harder and harder to hear, until it vanished completely. Denzel was frozen in a sad glance up at Tyrrany, barely moving. The sight of this put a smile on the White dragoness's face.

"This'll only take a moment, Denzel." She said to him, although he couldn't hear her. Tyrrany then turned towards the goats, and teleported over to them.

Tyrrany hated using Time magic. It reminded her of her father far too much. Time magic was Bergan's signature Element, and he used almost exclusively in battle. He would always use Time magic to get the upper hand, striking down his opponents before they can even do anything. It was a slimy and underhanded tactic, and Tyrrany hated it.

Tyrrany appeared right next to one of the goats, grabbed hold of it, and teleported back over to where Denzel was behind the trees. She then grabbed hold of its head and snapped its neck.

Time then returned to normal, and the goat fell to the ground, instantly dead. Denzel jumped in surprise: To him, the goat had appeared out of nowhere.

"Wow, Mommy!" He said, amazed. "That was fast!"

"Thank you, Denzel." The hatchling looked at the goat with curiosity.

"Um.." He said, confused.

"What is it, little one?" Tyrrany asked.

"How am I supposed to eat it?" Denzel asked. His mother chuckled.

"You take bites out of it." She answered. "Small ones."

"Oh, okay."

Denzel was about to take a bite out of the goat's chest, but Tyrrany stopped him.

"Not yet, dear." She said.

"Why not, Mommy?"

Tyrrany quickly glanced back at the goat herders. They had just realized that one of their goats was missing, and were starting to look for it.

"We'll need to take this goat back to the cave first before we eat."

"But I'm hungry _now_, Mommy!" the hatchling protested.

"I know you're hungry, but you'll just have to wait for a few more minutes."

"Okay…" Denzel said sadly.

The hatchling climbed up onto Tyrrany's back, and the dragoness spread her wings for flight. She lifted the goat up with her forepaws, and used her Time magic again to fly away without being seen.

…

After flying a good distance away from the Cat village, Tyrrany's Time magic wore off, and she flew off to the cave.

She didn't like stealing the goat. If it were just a wild animal, there would have been no problems. But taking from someone else's collection of animals was an entirely different matter.

For most of her life, Tyrrany had lived the life of a noble. Just about everything she'd ever need was provided for her. She wasn't told to work for her money and recourses, like Flame had to. She was grateful for how wonderful she had it, since she was always so angry at the world for tormenting her for her White hide, and even angrier at her mother for "abandoning" her.

Only now, when she had lost all of that, did she finally appreciate what she had. Here she was: having to fend for herself and her child, with nothing to her name.

Would this be the way she would have to raise Denzel? To be a common thief? And how would he receive the correct education when he gets older? Tyrrany didn't have the answer to any of these questions. But she knew _one_ thing…

_Denzel deserves better than this_, she thought. _I have to find a way to get him a better life._

Tyrrany felt the Purple hatchling lay his head against her neck.

"Are we there yet, Mommy?" He asked.

"We're almost there, Denzel." She answered. She shed a few tears.

_Oh, my little boy. You should be a prince, not a pauper._

Tyrrany finally reached the cave. As she flew in, she set the goat down on the floor, and then came to a gently landing. Denzel climbed down from his mother's back and approached the goat, eyeing it hungrily.

"Do I get to eat the whole thing, Mommy?" He asked. The White dragoness chuckled.

"Of course not, dear. You'd never be able to."

"But I'm _really_ hungry!"

"I'm hungry too, Denzel. We're going to share it, okay?"

"Okay.." The hatchling responded.

The two dragons were about to start eating, when someone spoke to them, making the White dragoness jump in shock.

"It's certainly about time you showed up, sister dearest!"

Tyrrany looked around, grabbing Denzel and placing him underneath her.

"What's going on, Mommy?" the hatchling asked, confused. Tyrrany ignored him.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

A malevolent laughing came from the deeper end of the came.

"Show yourself!" The White dragoness snarled.

Out of the darkness, two dragons stepped into view, a White male and a Blue female. Tyrrany gasped in shock.

It was Rune and Nellie.

…

Runefor grinned at the White dragoness, while Nellie had a look of depression on her face.

Neither Runefor nor Nellie had seen Tyrrany in six months. The Blue dragoness had witness the White one murder Rune's mother, and wasn't entirely sure whether or not Elenar's murder was intentional.

"Wh..What are YOU doing here?" Tyrrany shouted, both confused and alarmed. Rune frowned.

"Is that any way to greet your brother?" He asked. "And when you consider the fact that I'm also the dragon who helped you kill our mother AND provided you with an escape route, I would have expected you to have been happy to see me. Guess I was wrong."

"I didn't mean to kill mother!" Tyrrany protested. "And **you** didn't mean to help me! You couldn't have!"

"This isn't Rune, Hope." Nellie replied solemnly. The White dragoness became confused.

"What?" She asked. "What do you mean?" Rune chuckled.

"Allow me to fill you in, Tyrrany." He said. "The name's Runefor. I'm the superior half of Rune, which makes me your brother by proxy."

Tyrrany was taken aback.

"You're Rune's 'superior half'?" She asked incredulously. "What does that even mean?"

"It means that there are two minds inside my head instead of just one, like most people." Runefor said. "There's _mine_, and then there's _Rune's_. Whenever one of our two minds takes over our shared body, our body's features change. You're plenty familiar with Rune's form, and this is mine. Got it?"

"I…guess.." The White dragoness stammered, still a little confused. "But, why are you here? How did you find me? And why is Nellie here with you?"

"Ah, right, I forgot about her for a moment." Runefor said. The White dragon turned to the Blue dragoness and waved a paw through the air before him. Suddenly, the snake necklaces vanished.

"You're free to wander about for the moment." He said to her.

"Thank you." She said halfheartedly. The Blue dragoness walked over to Tyrrany and sat down.

"Do you mind if I sit here, Hope?" She asked.

"Are you okay, Nellie?" the White dragoness asked. The Blue one frowned, looking at the floor.

"No, and I haven't been for six months."

"Why not?"

"That would be _my_ doing." Runefor replied.

"What?"

"But before I get to that, allow me to explain a few things. For starters: Do you remember when you suddenly woke up in these Mountains?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"You wound up here because I teleported you out of the Pit of the Fallen, away from that imbecile Bergan and his cronies."

"Why?"

"Because I felt like screwing with his plans. And when I teleported you away, I placed a small portion of my Convexity energy into you, so that I could keep track of you. That's how I managed to find you today. Of course, Nellie and I arrived just moments after you left, so we had to wait for you."

"Alright, but why is Nellie here with you?"

"She's not important right now." Runefor replied. "What **is** important is that you leave these mountains, which are the Mountains of Kilon, in case you didn't know, as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"Well, you see, I'm planning to-" Suddenly, something caught Runefor's eye. He glanced underneath Tyrrany and noticed the small Purple hatchling cowering underneath her. "Say, who is that?"

The White dragoness flinched. She did her best to hide the hatchling from view.

"Er,,No one." She replied.

"Now _I'm_ curious as to who that is." Nellie said.

Thinking quickly, Tyrrany grabbed the hatchling off the floor and tried to flee out the cave opening. However, Runefor saw this coming, and snapped his talons, creating a wall of Purple fire at the Cave entrance. The White dragoness gasped, and immediately came to a stop and landed.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?" Runefor asked, an eyebrow raised.

Tyrrany turned around, letting the hatchling go.

"Where did the Purple fire come from, Mommy?" The hatchling asked Tyrrany.

Nellie was taken aback.

"Did he just call you 'Mommy'?" She asked. Tyrrany's eyes lit up with horror.

"No, he..uh…"

A low chuckle escaped Runefor. And then, it became a loud laughter.

"You had a kid!" He exclaimed. "Somebody fucked you, and you crapped out an egg a month later!" Runefor resumed his laughter.

Nellie glared at the hysterical White dragon.

"Stop that!" She demanded. "Where do you get off laughing at her like that?"

Tyrrany just stood there, her head bent low. The hatchling stood by her side, confused.

"Why is that man laughing, Mommy?" He asked.

"Nevermind why, Denzel." The White dragoness replied solemnly.

"Is _that_ his name?" Runefor asked, calming down. "'Denzel'?"

Tyrrany sighed, and took several steps forward, the hatchling following close behind.

"Yes." She said. "His name is Denzel."

"That's kind of cute." Nellie replied. The blue dragoness leaned her head down to look at the hatchling directly. "It's nice to meet you, Denzel. I'm Nellie."

"Uh, Hello…" Denzel replied nervously.

"So," Runefor began, "Who's the guy who porked you?"

Nellie glared at Runefor for his insensitive comment, but Denzel was confused by it.

"What does that mean, Mommy?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, little one." She answered.

"I'm curious too." Nellie said. "Who _is_ his father?"

Tyrrany wrapped a foreleg around Denzel and pulled him close to her. She sighed.

"Flame."

Nellie and Tyrrany remained silent after that. Runefor chuckled.

"That Red-hided Fire dragon, eh? Makes sense."

"He doesn't know about him yet." Tyrrany responded.

"Do you _want_ Flame to know?" Runefor asked.

"Well, part of me wants to, but…"

"Because it's possible for that to happen very soon."

Tyrrany's eyes lit up in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"If you want, you can go see him." Runefor answered.

Nellie became confused as well.

"What are you talking about?" Tyrrany demanded. "I couldn't **possibly **show my face around anyone in Glenhaven. Not after what happened."

"Actually, you can." The male White dragon responded.

"How?"

"Well, before I explain _that_, allow me to explain why you need to leave the Mountains of Kilon in the first Place. But first…" Runefor waved a paw in the air.

Suddenly, Denzel toppled over onto the floor, much to the dragonesses' shock and alarm.

"Denzel!" Tyrrany exclaimed. Runefor chuckled.

"Don't worry, Tyrrany: I didn't hurt him." He replied. "I only had him fall asleep so he doesn't hear anything he's not supposed to. Listen…"

The Purple Hatchling was silently snoring. Runefor was telling the truth.

"You could have said you were going to do that, Runefor." Nellie said sternly.

"It doesn't matter." The White dragon responded. "He'll wake up in a few hours. Anyway, on to the **real** matter at hand: Pretty soon, the Mountains of Kilon aren't going to be here anymore." Tyrrany raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean they're going to be completely destroyed. And by me."

The White dragoness's eyes lit up in shock.

"You're planning on destroying the Mountain range?"

"And the rest of this pathetic world too!" Runefor chuckled.

"WHY? HOW?"

"Oh, I have my reasons. As for the 'how', it involves the use of Convexity energy, provided to me by the six remaining Victiumirti."

"Don't you mean 'seven'?" Nellie asked.

"Oh, not anymore.."

Runefor held his right paw out. The golden-bladed sword appeared in his grip.

"Do you see this sword?" He asked. "It _used_ to belong to one of the Victiumirti, Lucrun the Gilded. But then, I came along and killed him, taking his sword with me." Tyrrany and Nellie were surprised.

"You **killed** one of them?" Nellie exclaimed.

"Of course!" He answered. "They may be powerful, but their NOT immortal. And I plan on killing the other six, the last one being Bergan, so that I can kill him with the combined force of the other six's power. And once all of the Victiumirti are history, I'll then wipe out what's left of this world, and build a new one! One in which I rule over everything else."

Runefor made his sword vanish.

"Why are you trying to help _me_, then?" Tyrrany asked. Runefor chuckled.

"Well, dearest sister, it's because I know that you're a very powerful dragoness, AND that you have a vendetta against Bergan as well. If you're willing to cooperate with me, I just might spare you when I rise to power. And who knows? You just might get a chance to kill Bergan as well." Tyrrany's expression turned to indifference.

"You're not the first one to give me that offer." She replied. Runefor cocked an eyebrow.

"Care to explain?" He asked.

"Malefor has recently offered me the chance to kill my father as well. He's somewhere in the Mountains of Kilon as we speak."

"Oh, he _is_, is he?" Runefor asked, intrigued. "Well, I'll need to be sure to pay him a little _visit_ soon. But in the meantime, let me ask you this: Who do you trust more: Malefor, or me?"

"Uh…"

That wasn't an easy question to answer.

On one paw, Tyrrany didn't trust Malefor at all. He was an evil dragon who committed all sorts of atrocities during his time, just like the Victiumirti. He had even taken control of Rune at one point, and was currently possessing the Body of Rune's father Bane, if she remembered correctly.

But on the other paw, this wasn't Rune she was talking to. It was a being named Runefor. It seemed that this being was all of the evil inside Rune: Not someone to be trusted. And yet, he was still Tyrrany's brother.

So, the answer _seemed_ simple enough, but…

"Well, Tyrrany?" Runefor asked.

"…You." The White dragoness answered. "I trust you more than Malefor."

"I wouldn't trust either of them, Tyrrany." Nellie said. Runefor shot the blue dragoness an Icy glare, which made her step away in fear.

"We'll be talking about that comment later." He said sternly. "But for now, on to the next matter: you'll be needing to get as far away from these mountains as possible. I recommend traveling West to Glenhaven."

"But how can I go _there_?" Tyrrany asked. "I'm practically a wanted criminal for mother's murder."

"I have the answer to your problems right here."

Runefor held a forepaw upwards. A small black orb of Dark energy appeared in his hand.

"What's that?" Tyrrany asked.

"It's called a Shroud of Darkness. It's a spell that my father Bane invented a long time ago."

"What does it do?"

Runefor walked forwards and held the Orb out to Tyrrany.

"It does **this**."

The orb flew straight at the White dragoness. Before she could react, the dark energy spread allover her body, covering her completely.

Just as she was about to shout, the dark energy suddenly disappeared. Tyrrany looked herself over in confusion.

"What?…"

Tyrrany found that her appearance had changed.

Her hide had turned Purple, and her underbelly was yellow. Her mane had become shorter and bright red, and all four of her horns were Teal. Her red birthmarks had vanished, and her wing membranes had turned yellow.

"What did you do?" She asked Runefor.

"The Dark energy has bonded to your form and changed your appearance. Now, instead of looking like a White dragon, you appear to be a Purple dragon. You'll be able to wander among other dragons, without anyone suspecting a thing. And the best part is: The spell is almost completely unnoticeable, although I recommend staying away from Dark Memory dragons, like the Deep Shadow named Aegis."

Tyrrany couldn't believe it. For years, she had pretended to be a Purple dragon by wearing an uncomfortable cloth disguise and disgusting Purple makeup. But this Shroud of Darkness was a completely different experience. She didn't even feel exposed.

"This.." She said. "This is incredible!"

"The Shroud of Darkness is what the Dark dragons used to wander among the Light dragons before the Malefor Ordeal ended four and a half years ago." Runefor said. "Since then, they stopped using them. But the spell still exists, and you'll find it damn useful in Glenhaven."

"How do I remove it when I don't need it?" Tyrrany asked.

Runefor spent a moment teaching his sister how to wield the spell, and how to create the Dark energy needed to cast it.

Once he was done, he created a much smaller orb and pointed it at the sleeping Denzel.

"Since he's a Purple dragon already, all you really need to do is hide his birthmarks. Like so.." Runefor used the orb of darkness to change Denzel's birthmarks the same color as his scales. "Anyway, it shouldn't be too much trouble avoiding getting caught."

"Right.." The now-Purple dragoness said. "Thank you for your help, Runefor."

The White dragon smirked.

"Just remember: Nothing's for free, dearest sister. When next we meet, you had better be ready to do what I say, like Nellie here." The blue dragoness looked away.

"What do you mean by that?" Tyrrany asked.

"It's best that you do not know." Nellie responded.

"We've wasted enough time." Runefor declared. He waved his paw, making the wall of Purple fire vanish. "Denzel will be waking up in a moment or two. Be sure to get out of the Mountains of Kilon as soon as possible when he does."

"Okay…" The Purple dragoness responded. Runefor waved his paw again, and the black necklaces reappeared around his and Nellie's necks.

"We'll be going now." The White dragon said. "Have a nice day, Tyrrany, and enjoy your meal."

With that said, Runefor snapped his talons, and he and the blue dragoness vanished in a cloud of smoke. They were gone.

Tyrrany looked herself over, still marveling at the absolute perfection of the Shroud of Darkness.

If only she had **this** disguise when she was growing up in Faeshrine. She would never have been tormented for wearing a strange outfit. Maybe she would have been a happier girl. Maybe she would have friends, and have started dating Flame long ago.

And maybe, she never would have wanted to kill her mother.

"If only…" She said, sighing.

Suddenly, she heard a faint moaning coming from her side. Denzel was starting to wake up.

"Feeling okay, dear?" Tyrrany asked, watching the hatchling roll onto his paws.

"Yeah." He answered. "When did I-?"

He gasped when he saw his mother's new appearance.

"Mommy!" He exclaimed in surprise. "You're Purple now!" Tyrrany chuckled.

"Yes, I am."

"What happened?" Denzel asked, amazed. Tyrrany sighed.

This would be difficult to explain.


	11. Act 1, Chapter 10

Act 1, Chapter 10

"Wake up, Momma!" Argent shouted. He, Christopher and Melanie were crawling allover their mother, trying to get her to wake up. The two boys had climbed on top of Elza's back, while Melanie was poking the side of the green dragoness's head.

After a short while, Elza finally opened her eyes.

"..What is it, little ones?" She asked through a yawn.

"You almost slept all day again, Momma." Christopher answered.

"I did?"

"Uh-huh." Melanie replied.

Sighing, Elza moved to get up, her hatchlings moving out of the way. The Green dragoness then stood on her feet and looked at the clock.

It was almost noon.

"Oh dear.." She said, frowning. "Of all the days for this to happen.."

"What is it, Momma?" Argent asked. The hatchlings' mother shook her head.

"Nevermind, Argent." She answered. "It's a grown-up matter."

"Oh.."

Elza put her dark grey robes over herself and proceeded to walk towards the door.

"Come along, my lovelies." She said to her children. "It's time to drop you off with Tina for the day."

"Okay, Momma." The hatchlings said in unison. They then trotted along, doing their best to keep up with the bigger dragoness's pace.

As Elza led her hatchlings through the hallways, she scolded herself.

_How could you let yourself oversleep TODAY, you fool? Lord Urobos is going to be furious!_

The Green dragoness frowned.

_I wouldn't have this problem if Albanion was around…_

Times were extremely difficult for Elza, ever since she found out that her best friend and her beloved husband were killed.

At first, she was furious. She wanted to hunt down and kill the dragons responsible for their deaths. But then, she became lost in sadness. All three of her friends were now gone; Bane, Elenar, and Albanion, all gone. And there was no way to save them: Bane's body was being possessed by Malefor, and the Pit of the Fallen was heavily guarded.

None of them could be restored this time.

Elza would have committed were it not for one thing. No, three things: Argent, Christopher and Melanie.

Despite the weary and doomed world they lived in, the three hatchlings were filled with cheer and happiness. In the past five months, they have put a smile on the faces of many of the dragons under Urobos's employ, the King himself included. And the hatchlings looked so much like their father, if in different ways. And Elza loved all of them dearly.

She decided that killing herself would be horrible thing to do. No, she would live on, and raise these children the way Albanion would have wanted to.

After much walking, Elza arrived at the entrance to Tina's chamber. She knocked on the door, and got a response shortly afterwards.

"Who is it?" Tina asked from the other side of the door.

"It's Elza."

"Oh, hold on!"

After about a moment, the dark yellow dragoness opened her door and walked out into the hallway.

"Same drill as always, right?" Tina asked.

"Yes, dear." Elza responded.

"Alrighty." The Dark Yellow dragoness turned to the three hatchlings. "Head on inside, guys."

"Bye, Momma." The three hatchlings said in unison, hugging the elder dragoness's forelegs. She tenderly hugged them back, smiling.

"I'll see you later, little ones."

The three dragons then stepped inside Tina's chamber, and the dark yellow dragoness proceeded to follow them.

"See ya later, Miss Elza." She called back.

As Tina closed the door, Elza turned and walked towards the Temple's main chamber.

…

Wraith and Grail stood at the entrance to the Main Chamber. Their comrades Aegis, Lilith and Nerona were out in the city, doing there part to aid in the effort to evacuate the citizens. They were waiting on their ally Elza to appear, so that she can go aid the other Deep Shadows.

Wraith waited patiently, while Grail sighed in contempt.

"Where in the world is she?" the Dark grey dragon demanded. "She should have been here hours ago!"

"Shouting won't make her appear any faster." Wraith scolded. "You'll just have to wait, man."

Grail sighed in contempt.

"She should have known better." He growled.

"We'll talk about this when she arrives." The Dark red dragon replied.

After a short while, Elza appeared in one of the hallways, and walked up to them.

"Morning, Sleepyhead." Wraith greeted, smiling. The green dragoness sighed.

"My apologies for being late, Wraith." She said, bowing her head.

"What were you thinking, Elza?" Grail demanded. He pointed a talon at her.

"You knew that King Urobos and Lord Spyro needed all of us to help in the effort to clear the city!"

"Grail, chill." Wraith replied.

"No, he's right." Elza responded. "I may be a mother now, but I'm still a Deep Shadow."

"Yeah, well.." the Dark Red dragon said. "..The fact that you slept in again can't be helped now. And besides, you're awake now. So, just head out and help the others."

"Yes, sir."

Elza turned and headed for the front of the Temple. Wraith sighed.

"I'm still not used to that." He said.

"Neither am I.." Grail said with chagrin.

"Something the matter?" The Dark Grey deep shadow glared at his companion with his one red eye.

"Of all the members of the Deep Shadows," He replied, "Why would Albanion choose _you_ to take up the mantle as leader?"

"Hey, I was just as surprised as you are, Grail." the Dark Red dragon replied. "But, he wanted me to be the next leader of the Deep Shadows, so I gladly took up the mantle."

"He made a mistake."

Wraith's eyes lit up at the comment.

"What?"

"It was madness enough for King Urobos to allow you to become a Deep Shadow at such a young age in the first place. For Albanion to make you the next leader blows my mind."

"Is there something _wrong_ with me being the leader of the Deep Shadows?" Wraith asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You have proven to be the most foolhardy leader of the Deep Shadows to date. You allow several soldiers and guards slip in their duty, you openly behave like a teenager, and you **never** discipline anyone for their failures."

Wraith glared at the older Deep Shadow.

"Just because I'm not as old as some of the others doesn't mean that I'm instantly les competent."

"'Less competent'?" Grail scoffed. "That would imply that you have any competence at all."

"Where do you get off saying that?" Wraith snapped. "That's insubordination!"

The Dark Grey dragon laughed.

"So, you only enforce your authority when you're being insulted." He stated. "I can't imagine how you behave on the battlefield."

The Dark red dragon growled.

"This discussion is over." He sneered. "Get your ass out into the city to aid in the efforts. I need to stay behind and make sure all of the Temple workers are ready to leave."

Grail scoffed again.

"I'll go, but not because I respect your orders. You have proven that you don't deserve my respect."

And with that, the Dark Grey Deep Shadow marched towards the front of the Temple.

Wraith stood where he was, sneering.

"What a dick." He said to himself. "As if he needed another reason to badmouth me."

The Dark Red dragon shook his head.

"I need to get to work. Gotta make sure that Tina and the kids are ready to leave soon."

Wraith turned and walked down a hallway, preparing himself mentally for the had work that would come today.

It would not be enough.

…

"A magic spell?" Denzel asked.

"That's right." Tyrrany answered.

Tyrrany had done her best to explain why she changed hide colors to her son without confusing him or telling him something he shouldn't know. She explained that the White dragon was her brother Rune, and the blue dragoness was her friend Nellie. When the two dragons arrived, they surprised the White dragoness, so she wanted to take Denzal and run. Howver, they quickly esplained that they had come to help Tyranny by teaching her a magic spell.

"What does the spell do, Mommy?" The hatchling asked.

"Well, Denzel, the spell is used to change a dragon's hide color to something else, as well as their mane, horns, and other things."

"Why do you need the spell, Mommy?"

Tyrrany smiled.

"With this spell, we'll be able to go to new places."

"New places? Like what?"

"We're going to be travelling West, to a great big city called Glenhaven."

"Why?"

"Well, I think it'll do you some good to get out of these boring old Mountains."

"Okay."

After the goat's body had been eaten from and disposed of, Tyrrany got ready for flight. As Denzel climbed into position, he started asking more questions.

"How long will it take us to get to Glehavey, Mommy?" The dragoness chuckled.

"It's called 'Glenhaven', dear." She corrected. "And it should only take us a couple of days if we hurry."

"Why do we need to hurry?" Tyrrany froze.

"We need to hurry because..."

This was a more difficult question to answer. The real reason was because Runefor was about to destroy the Mountain range, and Tyrrany and Denzel needed to flee to avoid dying in the destruction.

But Denzel is only a hatchling. He couldn't possibly understand.

"Because what, Mommy?"

"Because..." Suddenly, the dragoness got an idea. "Because I really want to go to Glenhaven."

"Why?" Tyrrany sighed.

"We'll never get there if you keep asking why we're going, Denzel." The hatchling frowned.

"I'm sorry, Mommy."

"It's okay, little one."

And with that out of the way, Tyrrany spread her wings and flew into the air. She then turned to the West and took off across the sky, heading for the Arcus desert and the ancient city of Glenhaven as its center.

As this White dragoness sought out safety, many other White dragons would bring about ruin and death.

…

Ever since King Urobos gave the orders for the citizens of Warfang to start preparing to evacuate, almost the entire city was in an uproar. If the great King Urobos and Lord Spyro, two of the most powerful dragons alive, decided it was time to flee, then surely it was suicide to not heed their warning.

Hundreds of citizens were in a panic. Cheetahs and Moles shut down their businesses and emptied them of their inventory practically overnight. The Dragon citizens packed up only what they believed they needed, and stormed out of their homes, cowering near the inner rim of Warfang's outer walls.

Several members of the Deep Shadows had taken charge of several groups of the citizens, and were doing their best to organize them on separate parts of the city. Aegis and Nerona were gathering the Moles together, Lilith was putting a stop to the infighting that started spreading between the Cat citizens, and Elza had recently appeared to calm down the female dragons who had become increasingly protective of their new eggs.

Urobos and Spyro stood on the roof of the Temple, awestruck at the sight before them.

"I never would have imagined they would pack up to leave so fast." Urobos said.

"Well, you are their King." Spyro replied. "They are subject to your will."

"Yes, I know that. And in the past, my people have been very loyal to me. However, never before have they followed my orders so quickly. And to flee their homes, of all things."

"Well, it may be because of me." The Purple dragon chuckled. "The fact that I, the Legendary Lord Spyro, have agreed with your decision, must surely mean that it's the smart thing to do."

The Aged Black dragon laughed.

"In any case, I'm glad that we were able to get this finished so fast. We need to get these people out of Warfang, and who knows when the army of White dragons is going to arrive."

"Aye." Spyro replied.

As time went on, more and more citizens lined up at the Southern Wall. The Moles and Cats had gathered all the supplies they'd need, and were waiting patiently. The dragons, meanwhile, had even less supplies: They would be able to travel to Glehnaven in much less time.

"We'll need to find as many Water dragons as possible and have them stay behind with the Moles and Cats." Urobos stated.

"Why is that?" Spyro queried.

"Although the dragons will be able to fly over the Central Ocean with little trouble, getting the Moles and Cats across will be much more difficult. So, we'll need Water dragons to manipulate the Ocean's water, thus providing safe passage for the Moles and Cats to travel from Island to Island. It will take much more time for them to travel, but they'll be able to get to safety nonetheless."

"We'll need several of the Deep Shadows to stay behind with them," Spyro replied, "So that the citizens can be kept organized."

"Aye." The Black dragon agreed. "I'll summon Wraith to have him select the Deep Shadows who'll stay behind."

But just as Urobos was about to do so, two dragon sentries flew up to the two aged dragons. The sentries were in a panic.

"YOUR HIGHNESS! LORD SPYRO!" One of them shouted.

"WE'RE DOOMED!" The other one exclaimed. The two sentries came to a landing and tried to catch their breath.

"What's placed you in such a frantic state?" Spyro demanded.

"Yes, explain yourselves." Urobos added. One of the sentries managed to calm down enough to speak.

"Not too long ago, as several of us were patrolling the outer Wall and scanning the surrounding Outskirts, we spotted something approaching from the West. At first, we couldn't tell what it was. And then, through the use of our telescopes, we saw that it was... it was..."

"WHAT?" Spyro demanded. "What is it?"

"See for yourselves!" The other sentry answered.

Both sentries handed each of the old dragons a telescope. Curious, Urobos and Spyro turned to the West and looked through the devices, trying to spot whatever it was that frightened the sentries.

At first, they saw nothing. But then, they gasped. Off in the distance, a storm was approaching.

A White-hided storm. And it was moving fast.

...

At the same time, far off to the SouthEast...

On the northern part of the Mountains of Kilon, at the edge of a large mountain, was a Village of Cats, Moles, and Dragons.

The Village was calm, as it usually was. The many Dragons, Cats and Moles went about their usual routines. The males tended to their work patrolling the village's gates, tending to the livestock, or other such things. The females looked after their children, and handled other matters that homemakers dealt with. All was well.

The most memorable thing about this Village was the fact that it sat before a large Mine in the base of the mountain. Mining Gems from the mountain was this Village's main occupation. It was mostly handled by the Moles, although Earth dragons handled some of the more difficult tasks, like carrying the massive amount of mined Gems back to the Village.

The owner of this mining trade, as well as the ruler of the Village, was the Earth dragoness Angela.

Angela had a Light green hide and a yellow underbelly. Her build was burly, but still feminine in appearance. Her Dark yellow mane was neatly tied back in braids. She had two thick, silver horns, which curled like Ram's horns. Her eyes matched her horns in color. She dressed in a fine red cape and several pieces of fine jewelry.

Around six months ago, Angela had been seduced by Bergan and nearly signed her company over to him. However, when word spread that the Purple dragon had ressurrected six evil dragons and began his campaign of death and destruction, the Faeshrine Trading Company's normal business practices came to an end, and the deal collapsed.

Despite being able to resume her normal business, Angela's workers began questioning whether there was even a point in Mining anymore, since the end was coming close to its end. The Earth dragoness reassured her people that there was nothing to worry about: The Legendary Spyro and Cynder were no doubt going to save the world soon. This made them calm down, but not completely.

On this particular afternoon, it was business as usual. Angela was preparing to head for the mines to inspect this month's progress.

"We should be close to meeting quota soon." She said as she stepped out of her wooden hut. "With any luck, we'll have enough to ship all the way to the Aeshos Valley this month."

As the dragoness headed towards the Mine to the north of the Village, she focused directly on her destination. As did all of the other villagers.

They should have looked up at the sky that day. If they had, they would have been able to flee in time.

High in the sky, fast approaching the village, was a Black storm. It was not a storm of rain or sleet. It was a storm of monsters.

A storm of Crepsculi.

A good while later, the black beasts descended down to the Village, their hissing slowly filling the air. They attacked every being they saw: Dragon or Nondragon, Male or Female, Adult or Child, it didn't matter to them.

At the center of this storm of beasts was the Great Purple Dragon Malefor.

Malefor didn't even have to life a talon; His army of Crepsculi took care of almost all of his dirty work. His main target was the dragoness Angela.

"If the wench isn't among her people in the village," He thought out loud, "Then she may be in the Mines themselves."

The Purple dragon had commanded his Crepsculi to capture, not kill, the dragoness Angela, in case Malefor was wrong. He then flew off to the north, in search of the Earth dragoness.

The Crepsculi proceeded to decimate the village and its people. No matter how well they fought, the villagers were unable to deal significant damage to the army of monsters. For every one that was slain, another took its place in the battle.

As the uphill battle commenced, something happened that none of the Crepsculi of Villagers noticed.

A cloud of Purple smoke appeared in the center of the Village. Out of it stepped two dragons, connected by a snake necklaces.

It was Runefor and Nellie.

The White dragon chuckled at the sight of the wanton death and destruction.

"Look at them all!" He shouted. "Theyr'e fighting like the animals they are!"

"This is horrible.." Nellie grimaced.

"If by 'horrible', you mean 'horribly hilarius'!"

Runefor laughed out loud, while Nellie stared down at the ground in shame. She wanted to help the villagers, but there was nothing she could do.

The White dragon's laughter caught the attention of several Crepsculi, and they flew after him. Runefor quickly summoned his sword and jumped into the air, slicing the lot of them into pieces, which faded into dark energy. He laughed again.

"Pathetic!" He exclaimed. The White dragon looked over at Nellie. "Let's go. We don't need to waste time here...yet."

"Where are we heading?" Nellie asked.

"We're headed for the Mines." Runefor answered. "There's a certain someone I've been meaning to say hello to there."

And so, Runefor took off for flight, Nellie following closely behind. As the White dragon laughed at the destruction, the dragoness sighed in sadness, completely unable to do anything to save the villagers' lives.

...

Urobos and Spyro couldn't believe it.

The White dragons were attacking TODAY.

How could Desysto have planned his next conquest so soon?

The Aged dragons had little time to ponder this.

"The army is only a hundred strong at the most." Spyro said. "Our forces outnumber them six to one."

"Even so, they are an army of WHITE dragons." Urobos replied. "If they are as powerful as Tyrrany and Rune are individually, we cannot win. Plus, they're only children: Killing them would be a Pyrrhic victory."

"We have no choice." Spyro responded. "We either fight back, or let them kill us all."

The Black dragon sighed. He was backed into a corner in this arguement.

"Ready the dragons for attack." He declared. Spyro nodded.

"Aye."

The Purple dragon flew off from the Temple roof and shouted as loud as he could at the many dragons of the city.

"HEAR ME NOW, MY FELLOW DRAGONS! OUR CITY IS UNDER ATTACK! RISE UP AND DEFEND IT!"

Almost immediately, the many dragons flew into the sky. Several hundred dragons, Light and Dark alike, filled the air above Warfang, and turned to the Western Wall of the city. In the meantime, the Many Cat citizens who were trained in combat took up arms and rushed ot the Wall, ready to join in the battle.

During this time, Urobos had flown ahead of the other dragons, and was waiting at the Western Wall. As the Warfang dragons flew past him, and the Warfang Cats marched underneath him, the Black dragon was greeted by his Deep Shadows: Aegis, Lilith, Grail, Nerona and Elza.

"What's going on?" Aegis demanded.

"It seems that Desysto has decided to attack us earlier than we expected." Urobos answered.

"Damnit!" Grail exclaimed. "So much for fleeing quietly."

"Shall we aid in the battle, sir?" Nerona asked.

"Yes." The Black dragon replied. "Go, quickly!"

All at once, the five dragons flew off the Western wall, heading out to take command in the army.

Urobos was about to join them, but realized something.

"Wait." He said to himself. "Where is...?"

Suddenly, he gasped.

"Cyrus!" He shouted. "And Wraith and the other children as well!"

The Aged black dragon immediately turned around and flew back to the temple.

The Battle was about to begin.

...

Many Moles and Dragons lay dead at Malefor's feet.

When the Great Purple dragon attacked the Mines, he encountered a great amount of resistance. Not that it mattered: The dragons were hardly able to put up a decent fight for their lives, and the Moles fell like ants being crushed to death by a wild boar.

As Malefor traveled through the mines, he searched for his target: Angela. The Purple dragon had seen her retreat to the very back of the mines, trying to evade her inevitable death. Many of her workers threw themselves at Malefor to protect her: It was in vain.

After travelling into the farthest reaches of the mines, Malefor finally found his target. The Earth dragoness had fled into a new mineshaft that was being dug: A shaft that produced Purple Gems. The Great Purple dragon smirked. Once the dragoness was dead, he would need to remember to have the Crepsculi or some corrupted dragon dig up the Gems.

As Malefor stepped closer towards his target, Angela tried striking back with a barrage of Earth blasts. A waste of time: Malefor was able to deflect all of them.

"What do you want from me?" She screamed.

"Nothing." The Great Purple dragon answered. "I only need you out of the way."

"Why?"

"I need to make this Mine my own. And I can't have you getting in the way."

As Angela continued trying to injure Malefor, the Great Purple dragon continued deflecting the blasts. Eventually, Malefor had gotten close enough to Angela to strike her across the face, sending her flying across the mineshaft.

As the Earth dragoness crashed into the ground, Malefor walked up to her, charging his Magic. Angela turned to attack again, but the Great Purple dragon struck her in the chest with a blast of Convexity. The Dragoness shrieked in pain as a deep hole was burned into her ribage.

Malefor grabbed the dragoness by the neck and lifted her into the air. She was caughing up blooe.

"Your pain will end shortly." he said coldly, charging another blast...

And then, out of nowhere, a blast of energy struck Malefor against the back of the head. He roared in pain and fell to the floor, dropping Angela in the process.

"WHAT?" He bellowed, getting onto his feet. As Malefor righted himself, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and low chuckle. The Great Purple dragon turned around to face the stranger. His eyes lit up in surprise.

It was Runefor.

"Hello there, Malefor!" He chided. "Long time no see!"

The White dragon was closely followed by a young blue dragoness. The two were connected together by an ethereal chain attached to two black snake necklaces.

Malefor focused his gaze on Runefor, their matching demonic eyes locked on each other.

"You..." The Purple dragon sneered.

"Surpised to see me?" Runefor asked. "You didn't think that I'd never take the time to pay my old 'master' a visit, did you?"

Malefor snarled

"You betrayed me." He growled.

"Only after you claimed I was useless." The White dragon shot back. "But that's in the past: Today, I'm a free agent."

"What possessed you to seek me out?"

"Oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood. I gave my sister a visit, found _you _were around, so I decided to pop by to say hello."

Runefor reached over and grabbed the blue dragoness's shoulder with his left forepaw. The girl flinched.

"You probably remember Nellie here: She was there when I turned you into a fuel source."

"How did you create those necklaces?" Malefor demanded.

"Oh, it's a trick I learned from you." Runefor chuckled. "I would have made them Green, but Black goes better with my complexion."

The White dragon glanced behind the Purple one at the Green dragoness still lying on the floor, coughing up blood.

"Oh, we forgot all about your friend there." Runefor said, smirking. "Well, let's take care of her, shall we?"

The White dragon waved his paw, and an instant later, a purple cloud of smoke appeared around Angela. Before Malefor could react, the Earth dragoness had vanished. The Great Purple dragon roared in rage. Nellie stepped back in fright, but Runefor just grinned.

"HOW DARE YOU INTERVENE!" The Great Purple dragon bellowed.

"Well, maybe if you killed her when you had the chance, I wouldn't have been able to spoil your plans, idiot."

Immediately, Malefor lunged at Runefor, the White dragon dodging to the right, dragging Nellie along with him. The Purple dragon then turned and started attacking with a multitude of Convexity blassts. Runefor and Nellie took to flight, dodging around the attacks.

Eventually, Runefor flew directly **at **Malefor, intending to strike him in the face with a Convexity beam of his own. The White dragon waited for one of Malefor's attacks to end, and then shot a Purple blast directly at the Great dragon's face. As Malefor reeled back in pain, Runefor took advantage of the situation by flying towards him, summoning his sword to stab him to death.

However, Malefor was no fool: He teleported away just as Runefor's sword went flying fowards. The White dragon ended up stabbing his sword deep into the side of a wall in the mine.

"Fuck!"

As Runefor came to a landing to grab hold of the sword hilt, Malefor reappeared to his side, and struck the White dragon so hard that he went flying across the mineshaft, dragging Nellie along with him. Both young dragons crashed violently into the far back wall of the Mine.

Nellie groaned in pain as Runefor struggled to his feet. Meanwhile, Malefor was walking towards them, charging energy.

"You think I'll go down so easilly?" Runefor yelled, getting ready to attack.

The Purple dragon fired a blast of Convexity at the White dragon, who dodged out of the way. The Convexity struck the wall, causing massive chunks of it to fall down, revealing several massive clusters of Gems.

Purple Gems.

Malefor gasped.

"More Gems." He said.

When Runefor saw them, he instantly got an idea. He then chuckled.

"Fury Gems, eh?" The White dragon asked. "Wonderful."

With a snap of his talons, Runefor created a wall of purple fire between Malefor and the two young dragons. The Great Purple dragon tried to blast through it, to no avail.

"What are you planning, Runefor?" Nellie asked weakly.

"Watch this." He answered, grinning.

The White dragon grabbed hold of the Gem Clusters, and proceeded to absorb their power.

"The thing about Fury Gems it that they're very similar to Convexity Crystals in the sense that they increase a dragon's power." He said. "The more Fury Gems, the greater the power. So, when there's _a lot_ of Fury Gems in one place..."

Runefor started giving off a Purple Aura. Purple Lightning cackled allover his body. His eyes glowed a deep Purple.

Nellie became frightened again, and tried to step back as far as she could. Meanwhile, Malefor had given up on breaking through the wall of fire, and proceeded to watch Runefor.

"What is going on?" He demanded.

Suddenly, a massive amount of Purple energy exploded out of Runefor, filling the entire area behind the wall. The figures of the White dragon and his companion were completely hidden.

After a while, the wall of fire vanished, and the energy behind it became a thick layer of Purple smoke. Still, Malefor couldn't see either of the two young dragons.

"Where are you, boy?" He sneered. Malefor watched the smoke, waiting for something to happen..

And then, suddenly, a massive blast of Convexity came flying out of the smoke, sending Malefor reeling onto his back. As he hit the ground, malevolent laughter filled the air. The grounded dragon lifted his head, and saw the smoke vanishing.

He saw two dragons. The one on the right was the young Blue dragoness. And on the left, was a White dragon.

A _fully grown_ White dragon.


	12. Interlude

Interlude

Aeroshard, a few days after the end of the last Council of the Elders.

Prince Bergan was in his chamber. He was sitting at his wooden desk, going over some notes he had taken during his latest trip to the Aeroshard Palace Archives.

Bergan was roughly fifteen years old. He had a slim, teenaged body. He had a short Golden mane, and a tiny bit of Golden stubble grew from his chin. He was dressed in a fine golden cape, and wore short golden stockings on all four paws. Several gold chains decorated his tail.

Bergan analyzed his notes carefully, his blood red eyes shining with determination.

"There must be some clue as to how they managed to achieve it." He said to himself.

As he continued going over his notes, a knock came at his door.

"Who is it?" Bergan asked. A female voice answered.

"Sire, your parents demand that you see them." She said. The Purple dragon sighed.

"I'll be out in just a moment." He replied. Bergan then proceeded to gather up his notes and stored them in a binder. He then got up and left his room.

Ever since Bergan and his father, King Boreas, returned from the Council meeting in Warfang, the King had hardly said a word about what his son had done. His mother, however, was quite displeased when she learned about what happened.

Bergan's mother was a Time dragoness named Vinaris. Vinaris was a noble woman who was a stickler for proper behavior. She became Boreas's Queen some sixteen years ago, and when Bergan was born, proceeded to raise him to be a model citizen. For years, Vinaris taught the young Purple dragon to speak fluently, treat others with respect, and to do his best to stop violence before it begins, instead relying on reason to put an end to confrontations.

Of course, when Vinaris discovered that Bergan had pretty much started a full-scale war between most of the dragon clans, the dragoness wanted to tear her son's head off. Luckily, Boreas was able to subvert his wife's anger.

How long that would last, though, was unknown.

…

Bergan walked through the two giant double-doors into the Palace Throne room, followed by two guards, one of which was the female dragon who came for him. The Throne room was a magnificent chamber.

The entire floor was covered in a fine red carpet. The walls were covered in portraits of Bergan's ancestors: A multitude of Kings, from various generations. Someday, Bergan would join their ranks.

Off on the other side of the room, King Boreas and Queen Vinaris sat upon golden cushions, watching their son approach. Behind them was the painting of a massive map of the dragon realms, stretched out along the back wall.

Both dragons had Golden hides and silver underbellies. They were also dressed in fine regal attire, such as Golden capes, various pieces of jewelry, and long stockings on their forelegs. However, that's where the similarities end.

Boreas had a large, burly figure, similar to an Earth dragon's. He had two Bronze horns, which curled like a ram's horns. He also had a short Grey mane, and a scruffy grey beard. His eyes were blood red, and he wore a Silver monocle over his right eye.

Vinaris had a thick build, much like Boreas, except curved. She had three silver horns, which decorated the top of her head like spikes. She had a golden mane, which was put back into a bun on her head. Her emerald eyes gleamed with authority.

As Bergan and his two escorts came before the King and Queen, the young Purple dragon bowed their heads.

"Greetings, Father, Mother." He said. "For what reason have you called me?"

Boreas remained indifferent, but Vinaris began to glare at Bergan.

"The time has come for you to face retribution." She said.

Dread filled the young dragon's being.

"What do you mean, mother?" He asked.

"I believe you know very well what I mean, Bergan." She answered. The Queen pointed at talon at the Purple dragon. "What were you thinking, you fool? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Well, I was just trying to get the issue between Clans Aquarius and Pisces resolved." Bergan answered. "So, I believed that the only way to end their conflict was for both clans to take up arms and battle each other. Once one of the two clans had given up the will to fight and surrendered, the matter would have been over, and all the clans could move one, letting the distasteful events slip into the past."

Contempt glowed in Vinaris's eyes.

"Violence?" She asked angrily. "You believed that **Violence** was the solution to this matter?"

Bergan sighed. This would be unpleasant.

"Yes, Mother. It seemed like the most logical answer."

After this, the Queen erupted into rage.

"Did you forget everything I've taught you? Violence is NOT a solution! Violence is NEVER a solution to ANYTHING! Because of your words, almost all of the Clans have declared war, over a petty dispute!"

"It's not as if that was my intention!" Bergan replied. "I only meant for Aquarius and Pisces to fight, not most of the others as well!"

"Even if that is so, this would never have happened if you had kept you mouth SHUT! A war looms on the horizon, and it's all you fault! The blood of the dragons that die in this war is on YOUR hands! If Lord Spyro still lived today, he would be ashamed of you!"

Bergan looked down at the floor, guilt spreading across his being. He hated getting lectured for his mistakes, and they were always extreme, no matter how miniscule or grand those mistakes were.

When he left the Coliseum in Warfang, Bergan believed he gotten the matter close to resolution. But now, he believed that this berating wasn't worth it.

The young Purple dragon looked up at his mother's face.

"How can I apologize for this?" He asked. "What could I possibly do to atone?"

Vinaris's rage simmered slightly.

"Perhaps you're correct, Mother. Suppose I was wrong, and have made a grave mistake. But don't declare me a traitor: I only wanted the quarrel to stop, not make it escalate. I know that I can't make the other monarchs forget what I said. And what punishment you give me possibly bring an end to the war before it begins?"

The Queen sighed.

"You're correct: Punishing you won't bring an end to the fighting. And at least you admit you were at fault. However, that doesn't mean you can evade punishment."

"I wasn't trying to, Mother."

Vinaris turned to face Boreas, who had only watched and listened up to this point.

"What shall be done with our son, Boreas?" The Queen asked. The King only looked at Bergan indifferently for a moment. He then glanced at his wife.

"Leave the room." He answered. "I shall speak to Bergan alone."

Vinaris cocked an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Why do you wish to do _that_?"

"I have my reasons, Vinaris."

"As you wish." The Queen replied. She then got up from her cushion and walked towards the doorway.

"Guards, come with me." She commanded. The two did as she said.

Soon, Bergan was left alone with his father. The young Purple dragon filled with dread again.

"What will you have done with me, father?" Bergan asked.

Bergan expected Boreas to start yelling at him. But he didn't. Instead, the Golden dragon chuckled.

"Nothing."

The Purple dragon became confused.

"'Nothing'?" He asked incredulously. "But, I…"

"Did nothing wrong." Boreas answered. "In fact, your actions in the Coliseum have caused progress to hasten."

Bergan became even _more_ confused.

"Progress?" He asked. "What progress?"

Boreas got up from his cushion.

"Walk with me, Bergan." He said, grinning. "There's something you need to learn about."

"Walk with you where?" Boreas chuckled.

"You'll see soon enough, my son."

Boreas walked around his throne and approached the massive Map. Bergan walked up next to him, confused.

Boreas reached up with a forepaw and stabbed one of his talons into each of the four great Dragon cities: Warfang, Glenhaven, Faeshrine, and Aeroshard, respectively. To Bergan's surprise, each of these cities was a secret button on the wall.

"Behold." Boreas said. Part of the map suddenly slid down into the floor, revealing a secret passageway. The King then turned to his astonished son.

"Follow me."

The two dragons walked through the doorway, the door closing behind them a moment later.

The doorway opened up to a long hallway, which had led to a flight of stairs. As the two dragons descended the staircase, the walls started changing from pristine hard tiles, to natural rock, studded with various Gems.

Along the way, the young Purple dragon couldn't contain his confusion any longer.

"What is all this?" Bergan asked. "And what does this have to do with what's happened?"

"Allow me to explain the former." Boreas replied. "You see, Bergan, some time after the Dragon Malefor was defeated, the Ancient City of Warfang was being reconstructed. At the same time, the cities of Glenhaven, Faeshrine and Aeroshard, our home, were being built by the Moles. As this happened, unbeknownst to most beings, each of the four cities' main buildings, be it a Palace or a Temple, was given a secret passageway that could only be accessed by people who knew of their existence."

"What are the passageways for?"

"Their used as private sanctuaries, in case the ruler of the city needs time away from others, of if he needs to go into hiding during times of crises. However, they also make superb vaults for the ruler's personal treasures."

Eventually, the two dragons reached the bottoms of the stairs, which of course led to another hallway. This hallway's walls were studded with Gems as well. The Hallway opened up to a large, rectangular room. The walls were made of rock that was smoothened out so that it was flat. Piles of gold coins were neatly piled up on either side of the room. And over on the far wall, was a large portrait of a Giant White dragon.

Bergan gasped when he saw the portrait.

"That's Runileon the Wicked!" The Purple dragon exclaimed.

"Yes, my uncle." Boreas replied.

"Why would you have a portrait of **him**?"

"It's a long story, Bergan." Boreas walked forwards towards the portrait, looking back at Bergan. "Care to listen?"

"Um, if you insist, Father."

As the young Purple dragon walked up to Boreas, the Golden dragon began speaking.

"I'm sure you know the tale of Runileon, from his recently-revealed conception to his demise at the hands of his two children and the Black dragon Urobos."

"Yes."

"Well, there are some parts of the story that haven't been revealed to beings outside of our family line." Bergan raised an eyebrow.

"The story is only half-complete?" He asked, intrigued.

"Quite. As you know, after Runileon the wicked kept Clan Aries secluded from the rest of the world for several years, King Khronus, my Father, traveled to the Mountains of Inferdus in the hopes of getting onto good terms with his brother, bringing a large number of his people with him. The official word is that Runileon flew into madness and slaughtered his brother, as well as all of Khronus's people.

"However, that is a lie. My father actually succeeded in getting onto good terms with Runileon."

Bergan's eyes lit up in surprise.

"He **did**? But then-"

"Allow me to explain. You see, my father finally discovered why Runileon's hide was White, and traveled to his home to explain it. Here's what he learned: A White dragon is created when two opposing forces, a Light dragon and a Dark dragon, come together and have a child."

"A combination of Light and Darkness?"

"Yes. Of course, before Runileon was conceived, White dragons were always female. Why Runileon was _male_ cannot be answered. But in any case, when my father told Runileon this, he claimed that, since Runileon was both older **and** more powerful, he deserved to be the King of Clan Libra, regardless of what the Council of the Monarchs decreed.

"However, some of Khronus's entourage heard what was being said. Those dragons feared Runileon, and didn't want him as their leader. So, before Khronus could officially hand over rulership to Runileon, those eavesdropping dragons ambushed the Kings, intending to kill both of them.

"Runileon managed to kill the attackers, but they had managed to deal a fatal wound to Khronus. The Libra King died before he could pass rulership over to Runileon. Luckily, not all of Khronus's entourage were traitors: They wanted help the White dragon take up his right to rule. So, Runileon sent several of these Libra dragons all throughout the world, spreading a false word of how Runileon was a monster.

"All the while, Clan Libra, now secretly devoted to Runileon, started shipping war supplies to the White dragon so he can succeed in his Campaign of destruction."

"Why did Runileon launch his campaign in the first place?"

"White planning what to do next, Runileon theorized that, should another Light and Dark dragon pair together, they could create a White dragon that was powerful enough to oppose Runileon. And if one White dragon could be born, then _hundreds_ could be born. The only way to keep white dragons from hunting Runileon down in his old age and killing him, was to find a way to have them grow up completely loyal to him. At the same time, he realized that, since White dragons were far more powerful than other dragons, then clearly they are a superior race, which deserved to inherit the world.

"So, Runileon began a campaign to slaughter all the Dark dragon Clans, except for Aries."

Bergan was speechless.

"_That_ is why Runileon declared war?"

"Yes. By eliminating all clans besides Aries and Libra, Runileon would have no worries about opposition from White dragons born of other clans."

"But he never succeeded."

"Also correct. Runileon was tragically slain by Urobos, Alexander and Catherine. After his death, Our clan had to swear up and down that we were in no way affiliated with Runileon. Of course, we supported him and his plan completely, and we still do."

Bergan looked up at Boreas in shock.

"You…You want to eliminate all other dragon clans besides Libra and Aries?"

"Not quite. I also intend for Cancer and Capricorn to live on as well. And I have more reasons than you think."

"More reasons?" Bergan was confused once again. "What might those be?"

"As proven by their actions, most of the dragon clans petty beasts who let their pride get in the way of their rationality. After all, they declared war on each other on a simple matter that could have been resolved easily. The only clans that listen to reason nowadays are Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn. Meanwhile, the other clans have shown great dishonor: Lord Spyro and Lady Cynder would be disgusted if they were alive."

Bergan stood in thought for a moment. What his father was saying made perfect sense. After all, Pisces murdered several dozen eggs, and they didn't even apologize. Aquarius then murdered several innocent dragons out of spite. And the other Clans supported either one of these acts. Disgusting.

Clearly, they don't deserve to hold their power.

"What shall we do about them, father?" Bergan asked.

"For now, we'll sit back and let the war commence." Boreas said. "Once either side has been greatly weakened, we'll make our move to eliminate the survivors."

"Why don't we eliminate them during the war?" Boreas shook his head no.

"We can't act too rashly or swiftly, or our plot will be discovered. All good things come to those who wait, my son."

"As you wish, father."

And so, Bergan waited for seven years. In that time, the Purple dragon would begin to change.

He would become a different man. A cold, calculating man. A man who would betray everyone he knew, even his friends and family, for power.

He would become a Victiumirtus.


	13. Act 2, Chapter 1

Act 2, Chapter 1

The two great armies clashed above the Veros Outskirts, most of the dragons unleashing their elemental attacks all at once. On the ground below, Cheetahs and Tigers unleashed a massive storm of arrows at their White-hided enemies.

And all the while, Spyro led the charge, filling his army with great morale and determination.

The battle was not as one-sided as Spyro and Urobos previously believed it would be. The Purple dragon theorized that the reason the denizens of Avalar fell so quickly was because ot two factors. First, the They were taken completely by surprise by the sudden appearance of the White-hided army. And Second, the denizens of Avalar were completely outmatched in terms of Magical power.

On this day, however, even though the dragons of Warfang were surprised by their sudden appearance of the White-hided army, they were able to rally into battle before they were ambushed. Furthermore, even though the White dragons were stronger in terms of Magical power, the dragons of Warfang had superior numbers, and were aided by a smaller army of Cats.

Of course, the battle would have been much easier if it werent't for the fact that swarms of Crepsculi sprang out of the ground, causing the Warfang army to divide their attention. But it didn't matter too much: Crepsculi were much weaker creatures than White dragons. If all goes well, the forces of Warfang will stand victorius soon enough.

And there Spyro was, fighting alongside his people to defeat the threat. Killing the White dragons would be a distasteful thing to do, but there was no other option available to him...

The two dragon armies filled the air with hundreds of Elemental blasts. The sound of roaring and slashing filled the air. When a dragon was slain, its body plummeted to the ground below.

And Spyro was in the middle of this.

The Purple dragon charged at three White dragons, each one the size as a fully grown adult. He activated his Time element and slashed at their throats with his front talons. When time returned to normal, the dragons hurtled out of the sky, clutching their necks as the bled profusely.

Suddenly, several more White dragons charged at Spyro, unleashing blasts of Convexity. The Purple dragon dodged around these beams, intending to fly back around and kill his opponents with Convexity blasts of his own. However, several more White dragons charged at him, ready to attack while he was off his guard.

To his surprise, all of the White dragons he was about to be ambushed by suddenly started twitching violently, being attacked by some unseen force. Next, all of the White dragons that the Purple dragon was going to attack were struck by massive blasts of Lightning, which caused them to hurtle out of the sky.

"What?" Spyro asked, confused.

He recieved his answer when the Deep Shadows Aegis and Lilith flew into view.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Lilith asked.

"Of course." Spyro replied. "I could have defeated them in time."

"Fighting these dragons it soo tedious." Aegis declared. "What we need to do is seek out their master."

Spyro nodded his head.

"Aye."

The White dragons' master was most obviously the Purple dragon Desysto. Desysto was the one who led the army of White dragons, possibly as retaliation for the murder of his comrade Lucrun. If he was here on this battlefield, then he was most likely sitting at the back of it, commanding his minions from afar.

Spyro, Aegis and Lilith pushed past the White dragons and Crepsculi attacking them, searching for the Victiumirtus. What they didn't realize was that he was already in Warfang.

...

Cyrus was in his chamber, sitting at his desk. He was looking through several ancient books he, Tina and Wraith had found, which seemed most likely to contain information on the Victiumirtus named Amouris. And with luck, it did. Sort of.

According to the book, the Purple dragoness was the first wife of the Pain dragon Inferdus, who was the First King of Clan Aries. Despite Inferdus's affections for Amouris, he chose to take on a second wife to coincide her. Why? Because Amouris was sterile, and thus unable to bear him children.

Becuase of this, Amouris went behind Inferdus's back, using her incredible beauty to seduce several of the Male rulers of other Clans, so that she can take part of their authority and make it her own.

However, when she tried to seduce the King of Clan Pisces, a dragon named William, he rejected her advances, and even revealed Amouris's plans to the world. So, before anyone could come to confront her, the Dragoness murdered Inferdus and his second wife. She then started summoning monsters allover the world to kill all other dragons.

Unfortunately, that's where the useful information came to an end. For some reason, several dozen pages were torn out of the book.

Cyrus sighed in contempt.

"Well that's just great." He grimaced. "How am I supposed to know how she was defeated?"

Cyrus grabbed another book and looked through it. This book was apparently written ages ago, at least eight hundred years or so. However, it was even _less_ useful than the other one..

Sure, it mentioned the Purple dragon Desysto by name, but barely said anything outside of his appearance. After that, it completely changed subject.

The Black dragon tossed the book away in annoyance.

"What a load." He said. "We've barely found out anything at all!"

Cyrus sighed.

"Well, I might as well find Tina and Wraith, so I can tell them what I've 'found'."

The Black dragon gathered together the textbooks, put them into his satchel, and left his room.

When Cyrus and Tina got the idea to look for information on the Victiumirti, the other day, they didn't expect to find a gold mind of information. However, they _did_ expect to find **something**. And yet, despite all their searching in the Warfang Libraries, and even the help they received from Wraith and several others, they found next to nothing.

Perhaps it was because the dragons they were trying to learn about were spread out across several centuries, both before AND after the New Age's beginning. But even if this was so, then why do all the books they go through barely even _mention_ the dragons?

To add to the frustration, Cyrus hated going through old textbooks. Rune might have been a History fanatic, but Cyrus couldn't stand the subject. Thus, not only were these past few days almost completely pointless, they were also completely frustrating.

After wandering through the empty hallways, Cyrus spotted Tina walking out of her chamber, followed by Argent, Christopher, Melanie, and Wraith. The Deep Shadow sighed when he saw the Black dragon approaching.

"Good, we were about to look for you." Wraith said.

The three hatchlings were about to charge up to Cyrus, as they like to do. However, before they got even a few feet, Wraith shouted to them.

"FREEZE, MUNCHKINS!"

Immediately, the three hatchlings came to a stop.

"Awww." They said, frowning. Wraith chuckled as Cyrus walked past the hatchlings to stand next to Tina.

"Thank you." He said to the Deep Shadow. Wraith smirked.

"Oh, don't thank me just yet." He replied.

"What?" Wraith turned to the hatchlings.

"Okay, NOW!"

Immediately, the three hatchlings tackled Cyrus, sending him to the floor. He cried out in surprise as Tina and Wraith laughed.

"This is NOT funny!" the Black dragon protested, trying to get Argent to leg to of his tail.

"Yes it is." Tina replied. "They just like playing with you, Cyrus."

"Well, as much as I enjoy watching a great mighty Black dragon getting tackled by hatchlings," Wraith said, reaching down to grab hold of Christopher, "We really need to be going."

Tina helped pull the hatchlings off of Cyrus, all three of the little dragons crying out in protest. The Black dragon got onto his feet, grumbling.

"Thanks for wasting time, Wraith." He said sarcastically. "Really handy."

"Your welcome, your highness." the Deep Shadow replied, grinning.

Cyrus started walking down the hall, Tina and the others following behind. As Wraith walked forwards, Melanie and Christopher tried climbing up the Deep Shadows tail, only to topple onto the floor.

"What are you kids trying to do?" The Deep Shadow asked them.

"Will you please give me a ride?" Melanie asked, trying to look as adorable as possible. Wraith sighed.

"Oh, alright."

The Deep Shadow reached around with a foreleg, gently lifted Melanie up, and placed her down on his back.

"Hey! Me too!" Christopher protested. Wraith chuckled.

"Of course."

After both hatchlings were on Wraith's back, he proceeded to walk forwards, careful not to drop them, Meanwhile, Argent was busy trying to pounce on Cyrus's tail end with no success, like a kitten playing with a toy mouse.

As it should happen, this was going on when the Black dragon was trying to explain how his reading turned up no almost no results.

"So all I managed to find out was how that Amouris chick went all over the world to… uh…'fool around' with the Kings of other Clans." He said.

"Seriously?" Tina asked. "What a tramp."

"Yeah." The Black Dragon agreed. "Anyway, her plan was to steal part of their political power by seducing them into agreeing to hand it over. For the most part, it worked. However, when she came to King William of Clan Pisces, he resisted her charms and threw her out. He even-"

Suddenly, Cyrus shouted out in pain. Argent had managed to grab hold of the Black dragon's tail, and was pulling on it playfully. The hatchlings laughed, but Cyrus became enraged.

"Let go, Argent!" He shouted. "I'm trying to talk with the other grownups!"

The Hatchling let go.

"Sorry, Cy." Argent said sadly. The Black dragon sighed.

"It's alright." He replied. Cyrus looked back over at Tina. "So, where was I?"

"You were talking about The King of Clan Pisces."

"Oh, right."

The dragons resumed walking down the hall, and Cyrus continued where he left off.

"Anyway, after kicking Amouris out, he got wise to her schemes, and ran off to tell Spyro and Cynder what she was up to. However, the tramp caught wind of this, and began her 'death to everything that isn't me' campaign."

"Then what?" Tina asked.

"I don't know. The book just stops right there. I got nothing on how she was defeated."

"Wait, you said the King of Clan Pisces went and told Lord Spyro and Lady Cynder?" Wraith asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"So they were around when Amouris was defeated."

"Probably."

"Well then, we can just ask Spyro how she was defeated!" Tina declared.

"Hey, yeah!" Cyrus agreed. "Wish we thought of that earlier. Let's go find him."

The three older dragon nodded in agreement, and headed forwards again.

However, after taking a few feet, the dragons suddenly heard someone shouting nearby.

"Damnation! Where are they?"

"That sounds like King Urobos!" Wraith shouted. "C'mon!"

Wraith ran as fast as he could with the two hatchlings clinging to his back. Cyrus and Tina ran close behind, the latter grabbing Argent up by his gruff with her teeth.

…

Urobos burst into the front of the Temple and immediately began flying down the hallways, using his Dark energy to enhance his physical capabilities.

"Wraith!" He shouted. "Where are you?"

The Aged Black dragon flew through the Temple, searching for the other dragons. He searched the Main Chamber, only to find that they weren't there. Next, he tried Cyrus's room, but again, not there.

As Urobos flew to another part of the Temple, he started to get frustrated.

"DAMNATION!" He bellowed. "Where ARE they?"

Suddenly, he heard someone nearby.

"That sounds like King Urobos!" They shouted. It was Wraith.

"Oh, thank the ancestors." The Black Dragon said. He turned around and ran towards the source of the voice.

In a short moment, Urobos came across Wraith, Cyrus, Tina, and Elza's three hatchlings, two of whom were on Wraith's back, and the other one held by his gruff by Tina. The Aged Black dragon came to a stop, panting slightly.

"What's the problem, you highness?" Wraith asked.

"A great and terrible one!" Urobos answered. "Desysto has launched an attack on Warfang!"

Wraith, Cyrus and Tina gasped, the latter dropping Argent onto the floor.

"Hey!" The hatchling protested.

"Are you serious?" Cyrus exclaimed.

"I'm deadly serious!" Urobos answered. "You children need to get out of Warfang IMMEDIATELY! I can't risk you losing your lives in this bloody conflict!"

"Let me stay and fight, Grandfather!" Cyrus demanded. "I'm more than capable!"

"I was referring to the three hatchlings, Cyrus." The Aged Black dragon replied. "But still, you should leave, and Tina as well."

"Why us too?" Tina asked.

"Oh, there's no time for a hokey 'I want to fight' speech!" Wraith declared. "If the King wants you all out of Warfang, then we're leaving! NOW!"

"But-" Tina and Cyrus protested.

"I said NOW!" Wraith yelled.

Suddenly, a disembodied voice spoke to the group, shocking them.

"That sounds like a good plan. I suggest you use it."

Urobos, Wraith, Tina and Cyrus looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself, whoever you are!" Urobos demanded.

"If you insist…"

Suddenly, a Cloud of Purple smoke appeared a few yards behind Urobos. The Aged Black Dragon turned around quickly to face it, growling.

Out of the cloud, stepped a large, somewhat obese Purple dragon. He stood before Urobos, grinning.

"**You** must be Desysto". The Black dragon sneered.

"And you must be Urobos." Desysto replied. "Runileon told me about plenty about you. He says you're quite the troublesome Black dragon."

Urobos growled. He then quickly glanced at Wraith.

"Wraith, take the children and flee! IMMEDIATELY!"

"Yes, sir!" Wraith grabbed Argent off the floor and glanced between Cyrus and Tina.. "C'mon!"

"But-!" Cyrus began to say.

"Oh, do as your elders command, please." Desysto remarked. "You'll only get in the way, stupid boy."

"Don't you dare speak to my grandson that way, or at all!" Urobos yelled. Desysto rolled his Golden eyes.

"Are you 'heroes' always so hot-headed, even in old age?" He asked. He glanced behind Urobos at the other dragons. "Just leave already! I'm only here to deal with Urobos!"

"Any just why should we take orders from someone like **you**?" Wraith demanded. Desysto groaned.

"Perhaps something like **this** will be the proper motivation." He answered.

Immediately, the Purple dragon lifted one of his forepaws up, and quickly brouht it back down, using his talons to pierce into the floor. He then did the same thing with his other forepaw.

As soon as he did this, a pool of Purple energy started flowing out of his paws and allover the floor, alarming the other dragons. Seconds later, the hallway started shaking violently. The other dragons started losing their balance.

"If you wish to live to see another day, leave now!" Desysto declared.

Urobos got onto his feet, holding the wall with his right forepaw for balance.

"Wraith, get out!" The Aged Black dragon shouted.

"Good Luck, your Highness!" Tina shouted.

"Got it!" The Deep Shadow responded. He then grabbed hold of the three hatchlings, pulled Cyrus and Tina closer together, and teleported the lot of them away in a cloud of smoke. This left Urobos and Desysto alone.

The Black dragon extended his wings and began levitating over the floor. He held his right forepaw out and summoned the silver-bladed Longblade. Desysto seemed to recognize it.

"Say, I believe that I've seen that sword's twin sometime before." The Purple dragon said.

"Is that so?" Urobos replied.

The Black dragon flew forwards, intending to stab the stationary dragon.

However, an instant later, a wall of rock and metal suddenly grew upwards out of the floor. Urobos crashed violently into the wall and fell to the floor.

"Damnation!" He bellowed, struggling to get back onto his feet amid the hallway's shaking. The Black Dragon could still hear Desysto's voice on the other side.

"Allow me to demonstrate my crowning achievement from my previous tenure in the Dragon Realms!"

A quick moment later, a pool of Purple energy appeared underneath Urobos, flowing from the wall. The Pool spread across the floor beneath the Black dragon.

Seconds later, several large claws made of Rock and Metal burst out of the floor, intending to grab hold of Urobos. The Black Dragon, alarmed, immediately flew up into the air. He watched in surprise as several great beasts started climbing out of the ground.

The beasts were at least ten feet tall, and made almost entirely what appeared to be parts of the walls and floor of the Temple. They had spider-like legs, and rather bulky builds. Their eyes glowed like fire, as did their mouths. A faint Purple glow permeated off of them. Urobos couldn't believe his eyes.

"Golems."

...

Nellie couldn't believe her eyes.

Runefor had used the power of the Fury Gems to artificially increase his size. He had grown from a teenager to an adult in a matter of seconds. He had become much more muscular, and his mane and horns had grown longer.

When Malefor had gotten back onto his feet, he took several steps back, clearly alarmed.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Runefor asked smugly. "I'm even _more_ of a threat then I was a few moments ago."

Runefor took several steps forwards, Nellie being forced to follow close behind.

"Now would be a good time to teleport away, Malefor." The White dragon chided. "It's quite obvious that I'm more powerful than you."

The Purple dragon growled.

"Do you think I am some feeble-minded coward?" He sneered. "I will not flee from a fool such as yourself!"

"Is that so?" Runefor replied, an eyebrow raised. The White dragon glanced over at his sword, which was still embedded in the wall of the mine. He Lifted his left forepaw towards it. Suddenly, the sword shook for a bit, and then vanished in a cloud of smoke, reappearing in his clenched paw. His action caught both Malefor and Nellie off guard.

As Runefor lifted his wings to levitate, he spoke.q

"Let's see what you can do, Old Fuck!"

Immediately, Malefor unleashed a barrage of Convexity blasts at Runefor. The White dragon stayed where he was, using his sword to deflect the blasts and redirect them in different directions.

The Convexity blasts started destroying parts of the mineshaft walls. Meanwhile, Malefor was getting frustrated.

"Fight back, you wretch!" He bellowed. Runefor smirked.

"If you say so."

Immediately, Runefor fired a large blast of Convexity at Malefor, hitting the Purple dragon in the chest and sending him flying several yards. As Malefor climbed back onto his feet, Runefor and Nellie walked forwards, the latter laughing at the downed dragon.

"What's wrong? Was that too fast for ya?"

Malefor attacked with a large Convexity Beam, which Runefor countered by attacking with a beam of his own. There was almost no competition: Runefor's beam forced Malefor's beam back into his mouth, sending him flying backwards one again.

"Have I given you enough of reason to flee, yet?" Runefor asked insultingly. "This has gotten old _really_ fast."

Malefor righted himself, rage burning in his eyes.

"I'll make you pay for this!" He roared.

The Purple dragon started glowing with energy. When Runefor saw this, he grinned.

"A Fury, eh?" He replied. "Now **that** seems like fun! Let ME try!"

Immediately, Runefor started glowing with energy as well. As he did this, he reached around, grabbed Nellie, and pulled her close.

"What are you doing?" She protested.

"You might not want to get too far, toots." He replied, grinning.

As Malefor charged energy, he started giving off a thick Purple aura. The Purple dragon then charged forwards, racing right towards Runefor and Nellie. The young dragoness wanted to flee, but the White dragon held her in place, smirking at Malefor all the while.

When Malefor was about a foot away from Runefor, the Purple Dragon's Fury Exploded out of him. At almost the same time, Runefor's Fury exploded outwards as well.

Fear filled Nellie's being as the energy of the two Furies collided with one another, combining into a single explosion of energy.

And then, everything around her exploded in a flash of Purple.

…

Urobos was amazed.

Golems. Desysto summoned Golems out of chunks of the Temple's structure. It would have been incredible to behold, were it not for the fact that the Wooden-and-Metal beasts were trying to kill the old dragon.

Urobos flew around the Golems, dodging their many attempts to grab hold of him. The Black dragon used his sword to slice the beats' limb off. At first, this seemed to work. However, the creatures merely used parts of the walls to rebuild themselves.

So, Urobos resorted to magic.

The Black dragon started freezing the Golems in place with Ice breath, preventing them from moving away. Next, Urobos started striking the beasts with Earth blasts, beating them senseless. Lastly, he electrocuted the Golems with a massive storm of Blood Lightning, frying the creatures' organs.

After this the creatures toppled over, dead. Or so Urobos thought.

In a moment, the Golems got back upright, ready to attack yet again.

"They just won't stay down." The Black dragon lamented. "How else am I supposed to-"

And then, Urobos realized something. These creatures were filled with **Convexity **energy.

"Of course!" He shouted.

Immediately, Urobos changed tactics. He called upon his latent Convexity energy.

But he wasn't going to attack. Instead, he began charging his Convexity, while running his sword through the chest of one of the Golems. Urobos then used the sword as a bridge to reach into the Golem's body, grab hold of it's Convexity, and start pulling it through the sword into his own body.

In a moment, Urobos managed to absorb all of the Golem's Convexity, leaving nothing but chunks of Rock and Metal behind. The remains then fell to the ground, reduced to a pile of rubble.

Urobos then flew around the room, doing the same thing to the other Golems. It wasn't an easy thing to repeat: Several of the Golems had realized the dragon's tactics, so they went out of their way to strike him back. However, slowly but surely, Urobos reduced the fearsome beasts to chunks of rubble on the ground.

"Now, that's just plain cheating." Desysto said, sounding close by. Urobos turned around, and was surprised to find that the Purple dragon have lowered the wall so he could watch the Black dragon.

"I never would have expected a Dragon of your supposed caliber to stoop to dirty tactics."

"All's fair in love and war." Urobos replied.

"If that's the case," Desysto sneered, "I'll just provide something more formidable for you to combat."

Suddenly, the Purple dragon started charging with energy. In a matter of moments, Desysto had a thick Purple aura around his body, and purple lightning cackled around his body. Urobos was alarmed at the speed at which Desysto charged his magic.

"How are you doing that?" The Black dragon demanded.

"I received this power courtesy of Bergan." Desysto answered. "Now, allow me to show you what can be done with it."

Immediately, Desysto dug his talons into the floor again. With lightning speed, Purple energy spread all across the floor, and then to the walls and ceiling, and in both sides of the hallway, and to the hallways beyond. The entire building shook violently once again.

To Urobos's shock, massive chunks of the hallway were starting to move out of place, moving in random directions.

"You may wish to step outside." Desysto said, grinning. After that, he vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.

All around Urobos, the entire building became increasingly unstable. Staying here was foolhardy. So, the Black dragon teleported away, just as the ceiling started to collapse over him.

…

Wraith, Cyrus, Tina, Argent, Christopher and Melanie appeared in the center of the city.

Immediately, Wraith could tell that none of Warfang's citizens were in the city. If they were, then there would have been sounds of a big commotion floating in the air. Instead, the sounds of commotion seemed to be coming from the Western side of the Veros Outskirts.

The battle between the two armies was still underway.

"Get close, kiddies." Wraith told the younger dragons. "We're going to teleport again."

"Where?" Tina asked.

"Anywhere but here's good!"

The dark yellow dragoness and the three hatchlings got close to Wraith, but Cyrus turned to fly back to the Temple.

"Where do you think **you're** going?" Wraith demanded.

"I'm going back to help Grandfather!" Cyrus yelled.

The Black dragon was about to fly away, but Wraith suddenly teleported in front of him, blocking his path.

"Oh no you're not!" The Deep Shadow shouted. "King Urobos gave us explicit order to-!"

Suddenly, Cyrus teleported behind Wraith, surprising him. The Black dragon then immediately used his Wind element to take off across the city.

"Hey!" Wraith protested.

"I'm going back, whether you like it or not!" Cyrus shouted back to him.

The Deep Shadow grabbed his face, mumbling to himself.

"..he's going to get himself killed…and then _I'm_ going to get killed…"

Wraith turned to face Tina and the hatchlings.

"Tina, take the kids and run. I've got to stop the prince from doing something stupid."

"Good luck." Tina responded. She then turned to the three hatchlings, who were starting to get scared by the recent events. "Come on, guys."

Tina then took the three hatchlings and fled towards Warfang's Southern Gate. Meanwhile, Wraith teleported away, heading after Cyrus.

Up ahead, the young Black dragon had flown all the way back to the temple. He was about to come to a landing when Wraith suddenly appeared in front of him, startling the prince.

"HOLD IT!" the Deep Shadow shouted. "I can't let you get your head blown off!"

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Wraith!" Cyrus snapped "I can defend myself just fine!"

"I know you're a very capable Magic-user." The older dragon replied. "But I'm just following the King's orders."

"Screw his orders!" The Prince shouted. "He's the only family I've got left! I've lost Dad, Mom, and even Rune, allover again! I'm not about to-!"

Suddenly, both dragons heard a great rumbling sound. It was coming from the Warfang Temple.

"What the fuck?" Wraith shouted, looking in the Temple's direction.

The two dragons saw the entire Temple shaking. It shook so violently, entire chunks of it started breaking apart. But instead of falling to the ground, the chunks started floating in the air. As this happened, a massive amount of Purple energy started flowing out of the remains of the Temple's base.

"HOLY SHIT!" Cyrus exclaimed.

Suddenly, Urobos appeared in a cloud of smoke down below.

"His Highness!" Wraith shouted.

Wraith and Cyrus immediately flew down to Urobos, who was panting on the ground. The King was surprised to see them.

"What are you two still doing here?" The Aged Black dragon bellowed. "I told you to flee!"

"Well, we _were_ fleeing, until **this** one felt like running back here!" Wraith said, motioning towards Cyrus.

"Well, I didn't want you to die, Grandfather." The young Black dragon said solemnly.

As this conversation happened, the chunks of the Temple started dissolving. They then merged together, forming two great arms, four spider-like legs, and a enormous torso. All the while, the monolith glowed a deep purple.

The three dragons watched in amazement as the massive monolith flew together.

"By the ancestors…." Urobos said.

Eventually, the chunks of the Temple formed a head. It had two Great eyes, which were even bigger than a fully Grown dragon's body. It also had a massive mouth, which was filled with makeshift "fangs".

Once the Monolith was complete, the glowing Aura vanished. The Purple Dragon Desysto then appeared on top of the Monolith's head, digging all of his talons into it. He then shouted down at the dragons far below him.

"Behold my latest creation! The Eradicator!"

Immediately after that shout, the Monolith's eyes opened up, glowing a Deep Purple. The Eradicator then gave a mighty roar, and attacked.


	14. Act 2, Chapter 2

Act 2, Chapter 2

The Realm of Convexity

"So, now that we're all able to find the time," Bergan began, "Tell us what you were planning to talk about, Adpetis."

Bergan, Amouris and Adpetis sat in the chapel of The Nexus. Adpetis seemed to wish to speak about the young prince Cyrus.

"First off," The White-hided dragoness began, "let me clarify that are White dragon armies are very formidable, and I am completely confident that, if they were all we had, we would perfectly able to achieve our goals."

The Purple dragons nodded in agreement.

"However," Adpetis continued, "It's possible that we can place an even more powerful force under our belt."

The other dragons became intrigued.

"What do you mean?" Amouris asked. "What could be more powerful than an army of White dragons that can wield everything?"

"A single dragon that can wield Nothing." The other dragoness answered.

"Nothing?" Amouris exclaimed. "Are you daft?"

"You misunderstand me, Amouris." Adpetis turned to face Bergan. "Bergan, darling, would you care to demonstrate to our comrade what I'm speaking of?" The Purple male grinned.

"Of course."

Bergan shut his eyes and began concentrating for a moment. Soon, a bizarre, Black-and-White aura appeared around him. Amouris was astounded.

"That energy.." She said.

"It's called 'Nothingness'." Adpetis declared. "Or, just 'Nothing', for short. It can be considered the opposite of Convexity. While Convexity is composed of a combination of Light and Darkness and consists of all the elements, Nothingness is composed of no elements at all, and is neither Light nor Darkness."

"Nothingness is a primeval energy, capable of changing anything it comes into contact with into pure energy of the same kind, and then into anything else." Bergan added. "It's almost impossible to wield, since if a dragon has to have no elements at all, which is almost an impossibility. I myself am only able to wield it because The Nothing granted me it. And even then, I can only wield a minimal amount, as it feeds off my own life essence."

"Then how can this be of any use to us?" Amouris asked.

"Well, Amouris, it's possible to create a dragon that is able to wield Nothingness as its primary ability." Adpetis answered.

"How?"

"By mating a Black dragon with a White dragon." The White dragoness answered. "A combination of Light and Darkness that creates a being that controls the energy in-between. Because of this union, I call the breed, "Chaos Dragon."

"Light and Darkness united as one…" Amouris remarked. "That concept brings back wretched memories."

"I believe I see where you're going from here, Adpetis." Bergan replied.

"I don't." The Purple dragoness responded. "How are we supposed to breed one of these, 'Chaos' dragons?"

"I have already succeeded in doing so in the past," Adpetis answered, "so the answer doesn't elude me. As you can plainly see, I am a White dragoness. What we need is a Black dragon for me to mate with."

"You would willingly use yourself to create a minion for us to manipulate?"

"This wouldn't be the first time I used the method. And besides, it's all for our cause, correct?"

"Correct." Bergan replied.

"But still, where would we find a Black dragon?" Amouris asked. "Sure, Malefor is possessing the body of that Bane character, but I don't believe that still counts."

"The answer is quite simple." Bergan replied. "We use prince Cyrus."

"Cyrus?" Amouris asked. "You mean that boy you mentioned a while back? How could we possibly get a hold of him?"

"Let me explain: Over six months ago, I corrupted Cyrus with Convexity energy, turning him into a useful minion. He was eventually returned to normal, BUT, the latent Convexity energy within him is more than enough for me to reawaken my previous hold on his mind. All I have to do is find him, fill his being with Convexity energy, and presto! He's my puppet once again!"

"Once he's corrupted and given a fully grown form, he'll be more than suitable for our needs." Adpetis added. "And once he's served his purpose, we can either keep him under our control, dispose of him, or even have him mate with other White dragonesses."

"Now, now, Adpetis." Bergan responded, nodding. "Let's not get carried away. One step at a time, my dear."

"As you wish, darling."

The Purple male got up onto his feet.

"In any case, I believe I know just where to find Cyrus. And with any luck, Desysto will have finished his mission by the time I arrive."

"The Best of luck to you, Bergan." The two women said in unison.

Bergan snapped his talons, and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

At that very moment, a great battle was coming to its climax.

...

Spyro, the Deep Shadows, and the Warfang army battled valiantly against the White dragon army. Many lives were lost on either side, but victory was inevitable.

As the many dragons and Cats battled, Spyro, Aegis and Lilith flew through the opposing army's number, searching for their master. As the White dragons fell dead one by one, it soon became apparent that Desysto wasn't among them. Soon, almost all of the White dragons were dead.

Spyro and the two Deep Shadows came to a stop on the ground among the piles of dead bodies. The dragons and Cats of Warfang cried out in cheers, but Spyro was frustrated.

"Where could that man be?" He roared in anger. "Did he send the army to fight on its own?"

"Perhaps the Victiumirti are more cowardly than we first thought." Aegis replied. He looked around at the many dead bodies. "So many dead..."

"The Ancestors must be disgusted.." Lilith replied.

Behind the three dragons, the many still-living dragons and Cats continued to cheer for their victory. Their joy filled Spyro with rage. The Purple dragon turned around to face them, snarling.

"WHY ARE YOU CHEERING?" He bellowed. The Purple dragon's mighty roar was heard by all. They immediately stopped cheering and listened to Spyro speak.

"Do you not realize who these White dragons are? They are your own kin, created via evil practices and forced into servitude! They attacked us only because they were **forced **to! And WE fought only to defend ourselves, lest we be slain! Do not cheer: This is a Hollow victory! Because of the Victiumirti, you had to strike down your own descendants! I take no joy in this, and neither should any of YOU!"

The many dragons and cats were silent. They looked away from The Purple dragon, digusted with themselves. And Spyro glared at the lot of them, disapproval still filling his being. He let the silence ring for a few more moments...

And then, something broke the silence. A great rumbling filled the air. And it was coming from Warfang.

Spyro looked at the city, confused.

"What in the world?" He asked.

The many other beings around him heard the commotion as well, and became concerned.

"We need to return to Warfang immediately!" Aegis shouted, levitating into the air.

Spyro and Lilith rushed behind him, the Purple dragon taking the lead.

As the trio flew over the crowd of dragons, they were soon joined by Grail, Nerona and Elza.

"What's going on?" Nerona demanded.

"We don't know, but we'll find out soon enough!" Spyro replied.

And boy did they ever find out.

When the six dragons reached the walls of Warfang, they were completely horrified.

In the center of the city was a giant Stone-and-metal Beast, which was rampaging through Warfang. As it marched forwards, it tore several buildings asunder, chasing after some unseen target. Atop the beast stood the form of a Purple dragon.

It was Desysto.

"UNBELIEVABLE!" Grail exclaimed.

"How did it get into the city?" Elza asked, astounded.

"I don't know," Spyro responded, "But we need to stop it, and the dragon who's riding it!"

Immediately, Spyro flew high into the air and charged towards the Dragon riding atop the beast's head. The Deep Shadows followed suit, ready to attack.

As the six dragons approached the beast, they spotted what it was chasing after: Three dragons, two with Black hides and one with a Dark Grey robe, were fleeing from the Behemoth, fleeing to the East.

It was Urobos, Cyrus and Wraith.

Spyro turned to shout to his comrades.

"I'll handle Desysto! The rest of you, defend the trio!"

Immediately, the five Deep Shadows flew into action. They swerved around the Behemoth's body to get to the trio of fleeing dragons. Meanwhile, Spyro dive-bombed towards the beast's head, charging at Desysto.

As the Deep Shadows flew around the Beast, Grail, Lilith, Aegis and Nerona slashed at some of the monster's legs, distracting it. As it was distracted, Spyro flew at Desysto, unleashing a Convexity beam. However, the obese Purple dragon saw him coming, and counter-attacked with a Convexity beam of his own.

As the two beams collided, Spyro flew in closer to slash at Desysto. At the same time, the obese dragon rose one of his forepaws towards Spyro and fired a secondary Convexity blast at Spyro, causing the flying dragon to dodge out of the way and end both of this attacks.

…

Meanwhile, Elza used her Wind element to catch up to the trio of fleeing dragons, and called out to them.

"YOUR HIGHNESSES! WRAITH!"

The trio turned around and faced the green dragoness as she came to a landing before them.

"Elza!" Cyrus shouted happily.

"Spyro and the rest of us spotted the Behemoth, and we came to stop it." Elza said, panting.

"Thank you for the help." Urobos commented.

"Where are my children, your highness?" Elza asked.

"I can answer that." Wraith replied. "I had Tina take them and flee to the Southern Gate. They should be there by now."

"Thank you." Elza turned back to the Aged Black dragon. "May I go attend to my children, your highness?"

"Go with Lightning speed." Urobos answered. The Black dragon took several steps towards the Monolith, spreading his wings for flight. "With all of the other Deep Shadows and Lord Spyro aiding us, defeating Desysto and his Eradicator pet will be much easier."

Elza nodded, and took off for the Southern Gate. Wraith, meanwhile, turned to Cyrus.

"Come on, Cyrus, we need to get going as well."

"But I-"

Urobos turned to glance at his grandson.

"Cyrus, there's nothing to worry about. Your Grandfather still has some fight left in him. Get to safety."

It was clear that Cyrus wanted to stay and fight, but he was defeated.

"Fine." He grumbled.

As Wraith and Cyrus flew towards the Southern Gate, Urobos flew towards the Eradicator, heading for its head.

Aegis, Nerona, Grail and Lilith were flying around the beast, slashing and clawing at its limbs in the hopes of breaking them apart. Meanwhile, Spyro and Desysto were locked in combat over the Eradicator's head, attacking each other with numerous Convexity attacks. Urobos summoned his sword, ready to attack.

His plan was a simple one. It was quite obvious that Desysto was the one controlling this beast. If he fell, then the Eradicator would fall in suit. The only problem was getting a clear shot at the obese Purple dragon.

It was a _simple_ plan: not an easy one.

Urobos flew directly at the Eradicator's head, his sword at the ready. Immediately, the beast swung one of its great arms to swat him out of the air. The Black dragon dodged out of the way as fast as he could, but was struck across his side and sent hurtling to the ground. He shouted the whole way.

Luckily, Grail and Lilith saw what happened, and flew after the Aged dragon, grabbing him out of the air just before the Eradicator could attack him again.

"Are you alright, your highness?" Grail asked.

"Yes." He wheezed, clutching his side.

"Leave this battle to us, my liege." Lilith said.

"No, this is _my_ battle as much as yours."

Immediately, the Black dragon came out of their grip and flew after Desysto again. The two Deep Shadows following suit.

This would not be a battle easily won.

…

Destruction. Absolute destruction.

That's what came about when the two Convexity Furies combined together.

Immediately after they exploded, the combined Furies flew outwards in all directions and annihilated everything in their path. The Mountainside that the Mines were contained within was completely destroyed from the inside out.

And it didn't stop there.

The Convexity unleashed completely obliterated everything within a quarter-mile radius of the Mountain. The plants, the wildlife, the mountains, the village, the Crepsculi, the citizens…all were completely wiped from the face of the earth.

All that remained was a gigantic, smoking crater.

And at the center of that creator were three dragons: Malefor, Runefor and Nellie.

The blue dragoness was completely horrified by the absolute destruction. Tears formed in her eyes.

_Gone…_, she thought. _They're all gone…._

Meanwhile, Runefor stood tall and proud on his feet. Across from him, Malefor stood on the ground, breathing heavily and struggling to get onto his feet. Runefor smirked at his weakened opponent.

"What's the matter, Malefor?" He chided. "Unable to regenerate after putting most of your power into a single Fury? Did you put in a little _too much_? OOPS!"

"Damn you!" the Purple dragon sneered. "I'm not defeated yet, you asinine-!"

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Malefor suddenly cried out in pain, clutching his chest. And then, part of his hide changed from Purple to Black.

Malefor then started twitching violently, shouting out. When he spoke, it was with _two_ voices.

"Get….out…..of….ME!" He exclaimed.

Nellie gasped in shock. Runefor, however, only walked forwards, laughing.

"Well speak of The Nothing!" He said. "It seems like Malefor used so much Convexity, that he ended up weakening himself to the point where Dear Old Dad's able to try and break free!"

Malefor toppled over onto the ground, suffering an inner conflict of wills. The Purple-Black dragon looked up at Runefor, his eyes shifting between Demonic Yellow and normal Golden.

"Rune…." The two voices pleaded to the White dragon. "Help…me…."

"Oh, I'll help _someone_, all right!" Runefor responded, gleaming.

The White dragon extended a forepaw at Malefor, his paw glowing with Convexity energy. Runefor then struck the Purple-Black dragon with the energy, filling him with it.

"Noooooo…" The combined voices said.

Soon, Malefor's hide changed back to being completely Purple, and he regained control again. Once he found the strength, the fully-Purple dragon got up onto his feet. He was both enraged and confused. When he spoke, his voice was his own again.

"Why did you help me?" Malefor asked.

"Don't get me wrong, Mally." Runefor responded seriously. "I still think you're a loser, and killing you will be hilarious. However, the knowledge that my father is a roommate in your head makes me laugh. So, I'm going to let you go, for now."

"You think you can give me a handout?" the Purple dragon bellowed. Runefor glared.

"Are you serious? Have you **completely forgotten** how powerful I am? I could've killed you while you were down, and I still can right now! Stop being an idiot for five minutes and **DO SOMETHING SMART**!"

Runefor and Malefor glared at each other for a moment. Neither one said a word. The White dragon sighed.

"In any case, my work here is done." He turned to look at Nellie. "We're leaving, sweet cheeks."

The dragoness sighed and walked up close to Runefor. The White dragon then turned back to Malefor, grinning.

"Until we meet again, 'master'!"

And with that said, Runefor snapped his talons, and he and Nellie vanished in a cloud of smoke. Malefor was alone.

The Purple dragon stood in thought.

_Rune is more powerful than I am…_He thought angrily. _I despise him! I must do everything I can to get his sister Tyrrany to become my pawn, so that I can use her to DESTROY him!_

As Malefor thought of the young dragons, an idea came to his head.

_Say, Bergan is able to revive the dead…._ He thought, calming down. _And since he can revive any dragon from any time period, I believe I know just the dragon that could serve me alongside Tyrrany_…

Malefor looked around. The mines of Kilon were gone. Runefor had thwarted his plans yet again. He snarled.

_I'll have to return to The Nexus and tell that bastard Bergan what's happened…_

With nothing else to do, Malefor teleported away in a cloud of Purple smoke.

All the while, he thought of the two dragons that would serve as his new pawns.

…

Urobos, Spyro and the Deep Shadows continued their battle against Desysto and his Eradicator. The Deep Shadows distracted the beast while The Two Aged dragons attacked the Victiumirtus.

As Urobos made another attempt to impale Desysto with his sword, the Obese dragon fired a Convexity blast at him. The Black dragon used his sword to redirect the beam, while Spyro flew around behind the Obese dragon and hit him in the back with a Convexity blast of his own.

Desysto roared in pain as Urobos flew in for the kill…

However, the Black dragon was struck across the side by the Eradicator.

As Spyro flew to the aid of his companion, Desysto snarled at them.

"You two are getting to be real PESTS!" He bellowed. The Fat Purple dragon began charging energy as Spyro and Urobos flew towards him again.

Meanwhile, Aegis and Grail were working together to attack one of the Eradicator's great arms.

The Dark Brown dragon used his Memory Element to the best of his potential to hold the beast's arm in place, while the Dark Grey dragon dug his talons into the elbow joint. Grail then used his stored-up Dark energy to increase his strength, and tore at the Eradicator's elbow, the beast struggling to break free of Aegis's grip.

The Eradicator tried to swat Grail and Aegis away with its free arm, but Nerona and Lilith kept it distracted.

"Hey, could you hurry it up?" Lilith shouted to Grail, dodging an attack in the process. "We can't keep this beast distracted forever!"

"I'm moving as fast as I can!" Grail snapped.

After several great blows, Grail finally managed to damage the Eradicator's elbow joint enough to start punching it, breaking it even faster. Soon, the entire elbow started creaking loudly.

With a few final blows, the Eradicator's arm broke in half, the beast roaring in rage. Aegis released his Magic grip on the Eradicator's forearm, letting it freefall out of the sky.

When this Happened, Desysto's eyes glowed with rage.

"Damn you!" He bellowed, deflecting an attack by Spyro. "I'll make you PAY for that!"

The Obese Purple dragon charged his Convexity energy yet again, doing his best to avoid attacks by Urobos and Spyro. All the while, The now-enraged Eradicator swiped even more aggressively at the Deep Shadows.

Soon, Desysto was glowing with a purple aura yet again: He was about to unleash a Convexity Fury. Spyro and Urobos immediately recognized the danger, and flew away.

"FEEL THE WRATH OF THE CONVEXITY HAILSTORM!" Desysto roared.

Immediately, the Obese dragon tilted his head directly upwards and fired an enormous beam of Convexity high into the air. After gaining a considerable amount of altitude, the Convexity energy suddenly stopped in midair and turned into a buildup of Purple Clouds.

Seconds later, a massive barrage of smaller Convexity blasts rained down from the sky, hurtling towards the opposing dragons.

"Unbelievable!" Aegis remarked.

Spyro, Urobos and the Deep Shadows flew like mad-drakes to avoid the dozens of blasts. All the while, Desysto and the Eradicator were completely unharmed by the deadly storm.

Most of the dragons were able to dodge successfully. However, as Aegis was trying to dodge around several of the blasts, he didn't completely succeed: One of the blasts struck him in the back, where his stump of a wing was.

The Dark Brown dragon howled in pain as he plummeted out of the sky.

"AEGIS!" Lilith screamed. The Dark Yellow dragoness immediately flew after her husband, dodging the last of the falling Convexity blasts in her descent. Urobos and Wraith flew after her, wishing to aid their comrade, while the others were distracted by the Eradicator's attacks.

Before Aegis could crash into the ground, Urobos teleported beneath him a short distance. The Black dragon then broke his comrade's fall, and teleported a good distance away from the battle, on a rooftop. Lilith flew up to them and came to a landing as they looked over the weakened Deep Shadow. It was clear that she was nearly panicking.

"Are you alright, Aegis?" The Dark Yellow Dragoness asked.

"I've been in better shape." Her husband replied.

Urobos ran a paw over Aegis's wound. The part of his Robes that covered his wing stump were torn asunder. The stump was horribly burned. Luckily, the Aged Black dragon was able to use his Water and Pain elements to heal the wound.

"He'll be fine, Lilith." Urobos reassured. "In a moment, it will be as if-"

The Black dragon was cut off by the sudden giant stone-and-metal fist that came flying down towards them at rapid speed.

Luckily, in a split second, Spyro appeared between the dragons and the fist, using his forepaws to keep the giant fist from crushing the downed dragons.

As this happened, Grail and Nerona worked together to attack the Eradicator's elbow. Meanwhile, Desysto was charging energy yet again: He was preparing ANOTHER attack.

Suddenly, Urobos saw his opportunity.

The Black dragon summoned his sword, lifted his wings for aerial combat, and leapt into action. He charged right for Desysto, his sword ready for the kill.

Desysto saw Urobos fast approaching, and unleashed a massive beam of Convexity at him. The Black dragon was depending on this. By attacking now, Desysto was completely exposed…

Right before the Convexity struck Urobos, he vanished in a cloud of smoke, and reappeared directly **behind** Desysto. The Black dragon then plunged the sword through the Obese dragon's back, stabbing it through his heart and out his chest.

Desysto cried out in agony, clutching his wound. Immediately, the Eradicator stopped moving.

"Your second life ends **here**." Urobos said coldly.

The Black dragon then pulled his sword free of Desysto's back, and then quickly spun it up and around, slicing the Purple dragon's head off. The Decapitated head of Desysto fell to the ground below, a look of surprise still frozen on his face.

The Obese dragon's body crumpled downwards, lifeless and bleeding profusely. Next, the body of the Eradicator followed suit, falling forwards. The giant Stone-and-Metal monolith crashed violently into the city streets, exploding into a cloud of Purple energy as it did.

And so, two Victiumirti were dead, while five still remained…

…

A few moments earlier…

On the other side of the city, Elza, Wraith, Tina, Cyrus, Argent, Christopher and Melanie had taken refuge in an abandoned shop close to the Southern Gate. In the distance, the sound of the struggle between Urobos, Spyro, the Deep Shadows, and Desysto could still be heard going on.

The three hatchlings had huddled close to their mother. They were frightened.

"When's the fighting going to stop, Momma?" Christopher asked, hiding underneath Elza's left wing. He was close to tears. The green dragoness scooped him up in her forearm, along with her other two children.

"It'll be over soon, Christopher." She said soothingly. "Soon."

Meanwhile, Wraith, Cyrus and Tina looked out a window, which was facing towards the source of the distant noise.

"Man, sounds like one kick-ass battle." Cyrus said.

"That's not how I'd put it exactly, but you're more-or-less right." Wraith replied.

"How long do you think it will last?" Tina asked the others.

The other dragons fell silent. Only the sounds of the three scared hatchlings crying could be heard.

But then, someone answered Tina's question.

"Oh, I don't think it will last very long." The voice didn't come from anyone in the room. Instead, it was someone else's voice. A voice that almost all of these dragons could recognize immediately.

And in a moment, the person who spoke appeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"BERGAN!" Wraith, Tina, Cyrus and Elza exclaimed angrily.

All four of the dragons wanted with all their being to attack the Victiumirtus. But experience had taught them better: Bergan could easily use his Time element to defeat them all with ease.

"It certainly is a delight to see you all again!" Bergan said, smiling. He glanced at Elza, who suddenly pushed her hatchlings underneath herself.

"Why, miss Elza! I see you've started a family! Adorable. Who's the father?"

"A man who died because of YOUR deeds!" The dragoness snarled.

"Temper, temper, my dear." Bergan said, nodding. The Purple dragon turned to look at the other. "Ah, the Deep Shadow who managed to put up a decent fight. Doing well as ever, I see."

Wraith only growled. The Purple dragon turned to look at the two teenaged dragons.

"And last, but not least, we have Prince and his young friend. I'm sure you two have been doing well since we last met."

"That's none of your business!" Cyrus shouted, snarling.

"What are you here for, Bergan?" Wraith demanded. The Purple dragon smirked.

"Oh, nothing too important." He answered. "For one thing, I thought it would be amusing to drop in with some of my old acquaintances. It seems you're all doing fairly well."

"Gee, nice to know that you care." Tina said sarcastically. Bergan chuckled.

"There _is_ one other reason I have for arriving." He said. The Purple dragon turned to face Cyrus. "I will be requiring your services yet again, your highness."

The Black dragon snarled, as did the two adults.

"If you think I'm going to agree to help you do _anything_, you're out of your fucking mind!" The Black dragon bellowed..

Bergan's expression became serious.

"I never said that you'd be 'agreeing'."

In an instant, Bergan's eyes glowed a Deep Purple, startling the other dragons. A moment later, Cyrus started twitching violently, falling to the floor.

"CYRUS!" The others shouted, alarmed. Before they could do anything, Bergan used his Time element to grab hold of the Black dragon and summon a wall of purple fire around himself, which slowly spread outwards. The Purple dragon then tossed Cyrus onto the floor.

"Your younger form is of no use to me." Bergan said coldly. "I need your adult form."

The Purple dragon started filling Cyrus with Convexity energy. The other dragons could only watch in horror as Cyrus started growing in size and physical proportion. The three hatchlings were absolutely terrified.

In a moment, Cyrus was a Giant Black dragon once again.

"No!" Tina shouted. "Not again!"

The now Giant Cyrus struggled to stand up straight: He was now too big to fit inside the room. Bergan chuckled.

"A rather tight fit, eh, your highness?" The Purple dragon asked. The Black dragon snarled. "Well, let's get leaving, then."

Bergan looked around at the other dragons. The three hatchlings were trying to get as far as possible from Cyrus, white the two Deep Shadows snarled and Tina stood horrified.

"You bastard!" Wraith bellowed. "Change him back!"

"No, I don't think I will." Bergan responded. "I need him for a very important matter. And we have to going now."

The Purple dragon snapped his talons. Instantly, the wall of purple fire vanished, and the Purple and Black dragons vanished in a Purple cloud of smoke.

"Take care, everyone." Bergan said to them.

And then, they were gone.

…

**Finally, that Fat Bastard is DEAD! Man, he was supposed to die three chapters ago! Well, he's finally dead, and the story can pick up the pace again.**

**Also, Oh noes! Cyrus has been turned evil again! What will happen next?**


	15. Act 2, Chapter 3

Act 2, Chapter 3

It was late in the afternoon.

Tyrrany had finally flown out of the Mountains of Kilon a while ago, and was traversing the Arcus desert. The Purple dragoness became worried, How long would it be until Runefor destroyed the Mountains? Would she get far enough away in time? And just how was he going to do it? Tyrrany didn't know the answers to these questions, but they didn't matter right now.

She had only one goal: Get to Glenhaven as soon as possible.

As Tyrrany flew West, a large city appeared on the horizon. As soon as Denzel saw the city, he immediately began asking questions.

"What's that place, Mommy?" He asked.

"That's the city of Aeroshard, Denzel." Tyrrany answered. "It's a really old city, just like Glenhaven."

"Can we go exploring in it?" The Purple dragoness cocked an eyebrow.

"Why would you want to do go exploring in Aeroshard, dear?"

"It looks like a fun place to play in, Mommy."

"Well, I'm sorry, but we aren't stopping in Aeroshard."

"Awwww." Denzel said sadly. "Why not?"

"Because we have to keep moving to get to Glenhaven on the other side of the desert."

"Can't we stay in Air-sha for a while?" Denzel asked.

"We don't have time for it, Denzel." Tyrrany said sternly.

"Pleeeeease?"

"No."

"But I wanna-"

"I said NO! Tyrrany shouted.

Denzel yelped in fright. He then started crying. Tyrrany, feeling bad about her outburst, turned her head around to look at her crying hatchling.

"I'm sorry, dear." She said soothingly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Denzel looked up at his mother. The hatchling calmed down a little, be he was still sniffling. Tyrrany sighed.

"Alright, we'll spend some time in Aeroshard." Denzel's eyes beamed.

"We will?"

"Yes, but only for a little while."

Denzel hugged Tyrrany's neck.

"Thank you, Mommy!"

Tyrrany then resumed her flight, heading down towards the city of Aeroshard. The Purple dragoness berated herself.

_This is going to be a gigantic waste of time, Tyrrany! Why are you coming to a stop here?_ _If you hadn't lost your temper and yelled at Denzel, you would've been able to keep flying._

Tyrrany sighed.

_Oh, I just can't stay mad at him. He's only a hatchling, after all. And it's only natural for a hatchling to be curious about the world around them. I'll take him to a park or something. I'll let him explore a little there, and then we'll be back on the trip to Glenhaven._

Once Tyrrany decided on this, she flew onwards, listening to her son chatter about how big the city is.

As the Purple dragoness flew, she let her gaze wander across the desert. She saw about what one could expect from a desert: massive amounts of sand, random patches of plant life, and other such things. But then, Tyrrany saw something she didn't expect.

The unconscious body of an Earth dragoness.

Tyrrany gasped.

"Oh no!" She yelled, immediately flying down to the dragoness.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Denzel asked, holding on tightly.

"There's a person who needs help!" His mother answered.

Tyrrany came to a landing and ran up to the unconscious dragoness. As Denzel climbed off his mother's back, the Purple dragoness examined the Green dragoness's body:

She had a rather nasty wound on her chest, but miraculously enough, she was still breathing, if weakly.

Tyrrany set to work using her Water and Pain elements to heal the wound, while using her Memory Element to wake the dragoness from sleep.

With a loud gasp, the Earth dragoness awoke.

"What?" She shouted. She bolted upright, confused. "Where am I?"

"You're a good distance to the East of Aeroshard." Tyrrany answered. The Green dragoness turned to look at her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Anny." Tyrrany replied. "And this little one is my son Denzel. We saw you lying on the desert ground, so I came to save you life."

"Thank you, Miss Anny." The Dragoness replied. "My name is Angela."

"If I may ask, how did you end lying here?" Tyrrany queried.

"I'm not sure. One moment, I was fighting for my life in the Kilon Mines, and the next thing I knew, I was-"

Suddenly, Angela gasped.

"The Mines! I almost forgot!"

"What about them?"

"They've been attacked by the dragon known as Malefor! My whole village has been slaughtered by Crepsculi!"

Tyrrany gasped. Malefor had made his move. And people were now suffering because of it.

"Come with me." Tyrrany said.

"Come with you where?" Angela asked.

"To Glenhaven." The Purple dragoness answered. "I know where we can find help."

The Earth dragoness looked at Tyrrany, confused.

"I haven't known you very long," Angela replied, "But I guess I'll have to take any help I can find."

Tyrrany chuckled.

"Right." The Purple dragoness turned to face Denzel. "I'm sorry, little one, but it looks like we'll have to skip Aeroshard after all."

"Aww." Denzel said, looking down.

The hatchling climbed onto Tyrrany's back as his mother prepared for flight. Angela did so as well.

Soon, the three dragons were heading West, to the city of Glenhaven across the desert.

…

The very center of the Mountains of Kilon…

Runefor and Nellie appeared in a cloud of purple smoke, floating in midair. The White dragon looked down at the Mountain Range around them.

The Mountain Range extended outwards in all directions, stretching on for what seemed like miles. The clime was much warmer than the Mountains of Inferdus were, and as such the Rock took on a Brown color. Numerous valleys dotted the landscape, most of which had wildlife wandering within them. Everything seemed so pristine and Majestic. The only clue that the northern parts of the Mountain Range were completely devastated was the black smoke on the horizon.

Runefor grinned.

"Tell me, Nellie.." He said to the Blue dragoness. "What did you think of the death and destruction that Mally and I caused earlier?"

Immediately, Nellie filled with rage.

"It was HORRIBLE!" She screamed. "So many lives were completely destroyed, as were the Mountains around them! Nothing's left but a big smoking crater!

Runefor laughed.

"Well, what did you expect?" He asked. "After burning an Island to a crisp, and burning an entire Forest to the ground, is more destruction really a surprise?"

Runefor looked away from Nellie, grinning evilly. "And speaking of destruction…."

The White dragon began charging Convexity energy. He then created an Orb of Convexity in front of his mouth, which he pointed directly upwards.

Runefor proceeded to fill the Orb with Convexity energy, making it grow larger and larger, just like he did at Mt. Helfyr. At first, Nellie expected the White dragon to make the Orb about as big as that last time. However, to her surprise, it was getting even **bigger**.

In a matter of moments, the Orb of Convexity had grown to the size of the Glenhaven Palace. It then floated high into the air, ominously.

Runefor laughed again.

"Get ready for some fireworks!" He exclaimed. Nellie became worried: No good would come of this.

The White dragon fired a large beam of Convexity at the giant Orb. As the beam connected, the Orb started to shake violently.

Next, the Orb started changing shape: It became flatter, while expanding wider. The sound of Energy building up filled the air.

And then, the Orb exploded.

Hundreds, no, _thousands_ of Convexity blasts rained down on the Mountain Range, each blast the size of a boulder. As each Blast struck the Mountains, they caused a fiery explosion. Parts of the mountain broke off and dissolved into nothingness.

Soon, the entire Mountain range was willed with the sounds of exploding mountains and the screams of dying wildlife. The Land was covered in Orange and Purple flames.

It was too much for Nellie too bear. She broke into tears.

"Having fun, Sweetcheeks?" Runefor chided.

The blue dragoness, enraged, turned and attacked Runefor, slashing and clawing at the White dragon's chest.

"YOU BASTARD! WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS? WHY DO YOU KEEP DESTROYING EVERYTHING?"

Runefor just stood in place, watching Nellie try to harm him, with little success. He grinned.

"'Why'?" He repeated. "Because I can. I have incredible power at my disposal, and I'm putting it to good use."

Runefor grabbed Nellie by the neck and lifted her up to eye-level. Her rage became replaced by fear.

"I can do whatever I please, Nellie. I would like to think you've figured that out by now."

Runefor turned Nellie around and forced her to look down at the destruction below them.

"Do you see that? It's only more of the same things I've done. And more are bound to come. Get used to it, sweetcheeks."

Nellie cried again.

"Can't you at least leave me out of this?" She pleaded.

"Only when I feel like it." Runefor replied, grinning. He looked around at the destruction.

"We're done here." The White dragon placed a forepaw on Nellie's back and grinned. "Let's go home."

A moment later, Runefor and Nellie vanished, while the Mountains below them crumbled into nothing.

…

Mount Erebus.

Adpetis and Amouris were in the Main Chamber of the Floating Palace. They were awaiting the arrival of Bergan.

The Golden-Maned dragon had left to find Cyrus a short while ago. Once again, plans had been changed. Adpetis would return to monitoring the Pit of the Fallen, while Amouris took up control of the Corrupted dragon Army and laid siege on the Raunn Jungle.

At least, once Bergan arrived with Cyrus.

Adpetis yawned in boredom.

"How much longer do you think he'll be?" The White dragoness asked. Amouris sighed in Contempt.

"Why do you insist on asking that question so often?" The Purple dragoness replied in contempt. "Are you in that much of a hurry to mate with the boy?"

Adpetis glared at her "ally".

"What does it matter to you?" She snapped. "We need the boy for our schemes, and we need him immediately! Every second spent sitting around here waiting is a second wasted!"

The Purple dragoness rolled her eyes.

"Unlike yourself, I am able to wait patiently for my plans to begin."

Adpetis seethed with Rage.

"Are you saying I'm impatient?" Amouris cocked an eyebrow.

"That is _exactly_ what I'm saying, yes."

"How DARE you? I'll have you know that I waited **YEARS** for my son to develop to the proper age to put his powers to work, because his growth had to be natural for my plans to work properly!"

"That's not patience: It's poor planning." Adpetis stormed around the Green Pool and got up to Amouris's face.

"You asinine Twat! You couldn't possibly understand the nuances of-!"

Suddenly, Adpetis was interrupted by a voice from out of nowhere.

"Well, Well, it's nice to see that you two females are behaving as properly as one would expect."

In a moment, A Large Purple dragon appeared in a cloud of purple smoke at the doorway. Adpetis backed away from Amouris, regaining her composure. Amouris, meanwhile, sighed softly and smiled.

"Greetings, Malefor." She said.

"What brings you here?" Adpetis queried. "Shouldn't you be off on your conquest of the Mountains of Kilon?"

Malefor walked around the Green pool as he spoke.

"I had originally gone to The Nexus, but I found that none of the others were there. So, I assumed you would be here. And I was correct."

"But why arrive here in the first place?" A low growl escaped The Purple dragon.

"That Rune louse has proven to be a greater thorn in our side than previously believed." He said. "He has sabotaged my attempt to seize the Kilon Mines, by utterly destroying the Entire Mountain Range."

The Dragonesses were shocked. Malefor continued.

"But that's not all: He's found a way to transform Fury Gems into pure energy, and used it to increase his physical stature to one that rivals my own."

"Then it seems we'll have to find a way to eliminate him." Amouris replied.

"Yes, it does seem that way, doesn't it?" A Voice said.

A moment later, Bergan appeared at the doorway. Next to him was a Giant Black dragon. The two dragonesses smiled, while Malefor scowled.

"Bergan." He said halfheartedly.

"Good day, Malefor." The Golden-maned dragon said, walking forwards. "I'm glad that you're here. There's a certain matter that you should know about. All of you."

"What would that be?" The Other Purple dragon demanded. "And who is that behind you?"

"I'll explain him later." Bergan answered. "But first, the other matter."

Malefor scoffed. "Fine. Enlighten me."

The other three Victiumirti gave Bergan their utmost attention as he spoke.

"It seems we aren't as unstoppable as previously believed. In the past few days, young Rune has caused Mt. Helfyr to erupt, burned our secondary base in Faeshrine, as well as the Tarune Forest, to the ground, and murdered out comrade Lucrun."

"Lucrun is dead?" Malefor queried. "Why wasn't I informed sooner."

"You couldn't be reached in time, my friend." Bergan answered. "My most sincere apologies for not telling you when we found out. Moving on, our other comrade, Desysto, has just recently been murdered by King Urobos, and his White hided army has been slaughtered."

Amouris and Adpetis were alarmed by this revelation.

"How can that me?" Adpetis yelled. "Even if they aren't as powerful as Chaos dragons, how can an entire **army** of White dragons be killed so easily?"

"And how could Desysto be slain?" Amouris added. "He has the ability to summon Golems! Surely he must still be alive!"

Bergan shook his head.

"You two ladies need to calm yourselves. Remember: We control the Pit of the Fallen, as well as the surrounding remains of the Mountains of Inferdus. As long as our supply of Gems remains, we can bring back our comrades AND our army of White dragons. And besides that, we will soon have expanded access to the power of Nothingness, thanks to the Chaos dragons that the good prince here shall help produce."

"Good Prince?" Malefor asked.

"Oh, that's right." Bergan chuckled. "Allow me to introduce you to the new-and-improved Prince Cyrus." The Golden-maned dragon turned to face the Black dragon. "Take a few steps forward, your highness."

Cyrus walked forwards and stood before Malefor. The Black dragon didn't say a word: He only scowled, and stared forwards with his Deep Purple eyes.

Malefor examined the Prince Curiously. And then, he burst into laughter.

"This is a Male?" He asked. "He is identical in stature to Cynder, and I don't mean that kindly!"

"Well, despite his unfortunate appearance," Bergan said, "he is, in fact, a male. And as such, he is perfect to impregnate Adpetis."

Malefor's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

"I beg you pardon?" He asked.

"Oh, we didn't tell you that yet, did we." Adpetis said, walking up to Malefor and Cyrus. "I plan to mate with Cyrus, thus providing us with a superior breed of Minions: Chaos Dragons."

"That is…unusual." The Great Purple dragon replied.

"Call it what you will. In the meantime, I have work to do." The White dragoness turned to face the Black dragon. "Cyrus."

Immediately, Cyrus turned to face her. He still didn't speak, but he gave her his attention. The White dragoness placed a forepaw on his shoulder.

"Follow me, Cyrus." She said, half-authoritative and half-soothingly.

Adpetis then walked out of the chamber and turned down the hall, Cyrus following close behind. Malefor scoffed.

"Ridiculous." He commented. "But as long as we're on the matter of recruiting new minions, I would like to add a dragon to our command as well."

Bergan cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he asked "Who would that be? And why, for that matter?"

"Rune has become too great of a threat." Malefor stated. "I believe that eliminating him should go from being a side-objective, to our **primary** objective."

"Is that a wise decision?" Amouris asked.

"Why wouldn't it be? He's ambushed and slain our comrade Lucrun already. If we continue to ignore him, he pick us off, one by one."

"I suppose you're correct." Bergan said. "I'll allow you to hunt Rune down. But, I wish to know who you want to recruit to serve under us."

"Someone from the past." Malefor replied.

"The Past?" Amouris asked. "Do you plan to re-corrupt Cynder?"

"No, that would be both foolish and improbable." The Great Purple dragon answered. "No, the person I wish to recruit, has been dead for around five hundred years. He is able to wield an element that no longer fits in this age."

"Who **is** this dragon?" Bergan queried.

"I do not wish to say. Though you will recognize him when he stands before you."

"It's certainly odd how you're acting so cryptic all of a sudden." Bergan replied. "What could you be scheming?"

"I am planning to eliminate Rune, for hindering our plans, and the humiliation he forced me to endure." The Golden-maned dragon rolled his eyes.

"Very well. Do as you will. Allow Amouris to supervise you as you perform the revival ritual."

"As you wish."

"In the meantime, I have work to attend to elsewhere at the moment. Have yourselves a wonderful day, you two."

And with that, Bergan vanished away, leaving Malefor and Amouris alone.

"I shall be leaving for the Pit of the Fallen." Malefor said, turning around. "I intend to perform the revival ritual immediately."

"I shall follow along, then." Amouris replied.

"Fine by me."

The two Purple dragons left the main chamber and walked towards the exit from the building.

As they walked, Amouris allowed her gaze to wander up and down Malefor's figure. She grinned. Malefor was truly a mighty dragon.

"You know, Malefor," The dragoness said, "When I was a young cub, I was absolutely terrified of you."

"Is that so?" He asked, indifferent.

"Oh, yes. I was born at the start of the New Age, you see. I used to hear all sorts of tales about you. How you rose to power, only to be defeated by Spyro and Cynder. At first, I feared your very name. But, as I grew, I came to realize that yours is a name to be revered, not hated. It was **You** who should have brought about a new age, not that upstart Spyro."

Malefor glanced at Amouris, still indifferent.

"You are trying to flatter me." He responded. "Why?"

Amouris walked up closer to Malefor, grinning all the while.

"You are truly a powerful man, Malefor. Your work is what inspired me to try to bring about the Great Cleansing myself. It would be an honor to-"

Malefor suddenly came to a stop. He glared at the Purple dragoness as he spoke.

"To what? To mate with me?"

"Well…"

"Yes, that _would_ be an honor. An honor that I'm not entirely sure you deserve."

Amouris frowned.

"Why not? I was almost as close as _you_ were to destroying the world. What makes me any worse off than you?"

"For starters, the world was literally breaking apart around me when I was imprisoned. Out of everyone among our number, I was the closest to achieving this 'Nothing's ends. As for you? You had to whore your way around the world to get as far as ending a few thousand lives."

Amouris pouted, and walked around to look Malefor in the eyes.

"Far more than **that** died by my paw. Several million if I remember correctly. And at least I wasn't imprisoned by two imbeciles like **you** were. They needed an army just to get _near_ me to take me down."

Suddenly, Malefor grabbed Amouris and shoved her face down onto the floor. He then held her neck down, applying just enough force to keep her from getting back up.

"If I recall correctly," he sneered, "it was the **son** of the same two imbeciles who defeated you. And he **killed** you. I was still alive. Imprisoned, but alive. So if you think you are my equal, then you are sadly mistaken."

Amouris's expression changed to a grin, catching Malefor off guard. The dragoness then purred.

"Show me you're better." She goaded. "Show me your superiority. If you can, that is."

The Purple Male looked down at the Female. Clearly, she wanted Malefor to have his way with her.

"Are you up to the challenge, Malefor?" She chided.

After thinking about it for a moment, he finally decided.

"I am."

Malefor grabbed Amouris's shoulders and flipped her over and dropped her hard onto her back. He then quickly walked around the dragoness, so that he was standing over her tail. The Purple Male then lunged on top of the Female.

Amouris started fighting back, pushing and clawing at Malefor as he struggled to get into position. It was a real fight: Amouris left several bleeding wounds allover Malefor's form.

"Are you stronger than me or not, Malefor?" the Dragoness goaded.

This taunting increased The Male's drive. He began fighting **harder** and **faster**.

After another moment, Malefor had used his forelegs to force Amouris's forlegs down. He also used his bodyweight to pin the dragoness down.

Malefor looked down at the trapped dragoness. She truly was an incredibly attractive female. The sweet scent of her scales drifted through the air, filling Malefor's nostrils.

"You belong to **me**, now." He said, grinning. Amouris grinned back.

"Then ravish me." She replied.

Immediately, Malefor drove himself inside her. She gasped as the Male began his business.

"I'm still sterile." Amouris said. "You won't have to worry about children."

"Actually, I do." Malefor replied.

"What?"

"You will understand later."

After that, Malefor dug himself deeper into Amouris, the dragoness gasping harder.

As the two dragons mated there, Malefor heard a voice in his head. A voice that was not his own.

_By the ancestors, this sickens me!_

It was Bane.

Malefor reached into his mind and pushed Bane away, forcing him back into the deepest reaches of his mind.

_Give me back my body!_

_**Silence, you interloper!**_

As Bane was silenced, Malefor returned his attention to Amouris.

This would not be the last time Bane would trouble him.


	16. Act 2, Chapter 4

_**WARNING: The one of the scenes in this chapter contains something that some viewers may, no, WILL find disturbing. Just before the imagery appears, another warning sign will appear. Read at your own risk. You've been warned.**_

Act 2, Chapter 4

Urobos was distraught.

He and Spyro couldn't have been more wrong. This was no victory: It was defeat.

Shortly after Desysto was slain, and the Eradicator was destroyed, Wraith and Elza came running. They told Urobos and the others that Bergan had abducted Prince Cyrus. This revelation left the Deep Shadows shocked and appalled.

Immediately, Grail began arguing with Wraith about it.

"How could you just let Bergan flee with the prince?" He shouted.

"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Wraith snapped. "I've seen his fighting techniques before: I'm barely an even match! Plus, there was limited room for mobility!"

"That's no excuse!" Wraith replied. "As a Deep Shadow, it is you DUTY to defend the royal family at all costs! You, Wraith, have FAILED in that regard! If I was the leader of the Deep Shadows, I would strip you of your status Immediately!"

Wraith was about to shout at Grail, but then Elza stormed up and got in the Dark Grey dragon's face.

"Are you out of your mind?" Elza shouted. "Do you not know who we're talking about here?"

"Of course I know-" Grail began. Elza cut him off, pointing a talon at his scar.

"BERGAN, that's who! You of all people should know what **that** man is capable of, Grail! He's far more powerful than ANY of us! Even Lord Spyro couldn't defeat him! And as for having Wraith excommunitated, ignoring how insubordinate you sound, you would have to do the same to ME! I may be a mother now, but I'm still a Deep Shadow! I failed to save the Prince too! I WISH I could have done something, but Bergan is TOO POWERFUL to stop! Blaming Wraith for not being able to stop Bergan is like blaming a Hawk for not trying to defeat a Pheoninx in batle! In summary, Grail: YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!"

The others just stood there, dumbstruck. Grail's mouth hung open in shock.

"Damn..." Wraith said, amazed.

After a moment, Spyro spoke up.

"That's quite enough of this!" He shouted. "We'll worry about that matter later. For now, we have to-"

Suddenly, a Space dragon appeared nearby.

"Your Highness! Lord Spyro!" He shouted, distrought.

"What is it?" The Purple dragon asked.

"Something most HORRIBLE has happened! Return to the battlefield and see for yourself!"

Curious, Spyro, Urobos and the Deep Shadows flew back to the battlefield to the West of Warfang.

What they saw shocked and horrified them down to their very cores.

...

**WARNING:****The following scene contains disturbing imagery! If you have a weak stomach, SKIP AHEAD! If you read the following scene anyway, and later throw up, DON'T BLAME ME!**

**I'm serious: Don't read it. You've been warned thrice.**

...

Shortly after the Spyro and the Deep Shadows left to stop the Eradicator. a horrible event took place. Every single White dragon's corpse gave off a large buildup of Convexity energy, which faded into nothingness. And then, the many White bodies began to shrink, turning into hatchlings.

The entire battlefield was now covered with the bodies of dead hatchlings, most of which were horribly mangled, and stained red with blood. The many dragons and Cats that stood on that battlefield became absolutely disgusted and horrified. Some of them found themselves vomiting at the sight.

And the worst part of all: THEY were the ones who killed the hatchlings. Their deaths were on THEIR paws.

Once Urobos saw this, he became overcome with grief. He roared in despair, his sorrowful cry echoing across the entire battlefield, and beyond.

...

**The disturbing imagery has ended. If you read it, and are now disgusted and enraged... you're an idiot.**

...

When Urobos finally regained his composure, he ordered the many dragons, Moles and Cats under his command to gather up the bodies and give them the proper burials.

The effort took only the rest of the afternoon, but it felt like eternity. Spyro, Nerona and Grail lent their aid to the effort. Lilith and Tina looked after Aegis, while Elza tended to her still-distraught hatchlings.

And where was Urobos during all of this?

He had returned to the torn remains of the Warfang temple. The Black dragon wandered the few hallways that remained intact, their roofs exposed to the elements.

As he walked, Urobos was stricken with horror.

"Death..." He said to himself. "So much death. Why? Why must beings who are so young, be forced to die so suddenly?"

Urobos became enraged. "I shouldn't have allowed Spyro to launch the attack! We should have fled Warfang when we had the chance! But there's no changing that, now.."

Next, Urobos's thoughts turned to Cyrus.

"Oh, Cyrus...I sent you away from the battle against Desysto in the hopes of protecting you. But now I find out that I was leaving you exposed: Bergan could appear and abduct you at any time. I'm sorry, Cyrus.."

And then, Urobos thought of the rest of his family.

"Just what kind of man am I? My son is being possessed by an Ancient Evil, My dauther-in-law is trapped in the Underworld once again, and all three of my grandchildren are either abducted, missing, or turned evil. I could have prevented ALL of these things, and yet I didn't."

Urobos sat on the floor, overcome with grief.

"So many dead or suffering, all of them far younger than me...I have failed as a Father, an Elder, AND a King."

The Black dragon held his right paw out, summoning his sword.

"And this is the price I must pay for it."

Urobos lifted his sword with both forepaws, ready to impale himself...

Suddenly, someone struck Urobos across the face, causing him to drop the sword.

"STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" The attacker bellowed.

Urobos jumped to his feet and turned, ready to strike back. To his surprise, he found himself standing before a clearly-enraged Black dragoness.

"Cynder?" Urobos asked, astonished.

"Yes." She sneered.

"What are you doing here?" Urobos exclaimed. "Shouldn't you be in Glenhaven?"

"Spyro contacted me a good while ago." Cynder answered, sneering. "He told me what had happened, so I came to lend my aid. And it seems it was a good thing, too: Once again, I find myself preventing another Black dragon from making a terrible mistake."

Urobos looked away.

"It would not have been a mistake." He replied solemnly.

"What has come over you?" Cynder demanded. "For the past half-year, you have not been yourself."

"All my life, I've had to watch beings younger than me die, no matter how much I try to prevent it. Everyone who gets near me suffers. I may as well be the one killing them."

Cynder rolled her eyes.

"You have become a fool." Urobos glared at Cynder.

"What?"

"For many years of your life, you have proven yourself to be a great man. In your youth, your family saw you as the wisest son of Hyperion, and a natural candidate for the throne. During you first tenure as King of Clan Capricorn, all other Clan Leaders paid you respect and admiration. Your people willingly obeyed your every command, and still do. And even when you make mistakes, no one held a grudge against you, at least not for very long. But now? You have been reduced to a wimpering old sot, who blames himself for everything. This is a trait that I wish I did not pass down through my bloodline."

Once again, Urobos looked away.

"A wimpering old sot.." He repeated. "A fitting title."

Cynder spoke again, this time calming down.

"You mustn't blame yourself for what's happened in the past, Urobos. Events have taken place beyond your control. Bergan is the one responsible for the deaths of those hatchlings, not you. If he hadn't corrupted them in the first place, this day wouldn't have happened. And mustn't try to end your life. How would your people react to that? 'The once-mighty Urobos, killing himself like a coward. Pathetic.' And then there's your grandchildren to think about: They need you. Cyrus needs you to rescue him, Tyrrany needs to be found, and Rune needs to be freed of his curse. Without their grandfather to help them, they're doomed to suffer. Would you leave them to their fate?"

For a long time, Urobos was silent.

"Urobos?"

After a while, the Black male looked back at Cynder.

"I just wish there was something I could have done to prevent all this."

"We all do, Urobos. But we couldn't . None of us could: Not even me or Spyro. All we can do is move on, and try to defeat the Victiumirti. Two are dead, but Five more still remain." The Black Male sighed.

"I suppose you're right." He said. He unfolded his wings and prepared for flight.

"Where are you going?" Cynder asked.

"To find the Deep Shadows and Spyro." He answered. "We need to get the remaining dragons and nondragons to Glenhaven."

Cynder nodded, getting ready to fly after him.

As the two Black dragons flew across the sky, Urobos tried to put a smile on his face. But underneath that smile, Urobos was lost in thought.

Thought of the night his wife died...

...

It was six years after Runileon's death.

Urobos was in his early twenties. He had recently married Anna, and the two were expecting children. The Dark Red dragoness had yet to produce her eggs, but they were almost ready.

On one particular night, Urobos and Anna were lying together on their shared mattress. They were both on their sides, so that they may look into each other's eyes, and their tales were intertwined.

"How many do you feel inside you?" Urobos asked his mate. Anna chuckled.

"Why don't you feel for yourself?" She asked.

The Dark Red dragoness grabbed one of Urobos's forepaws and placed it on her belly, just above the eggs inside her. The Black dragon felt something hard underneath Anna's flesh, but he couldn't tell how many there were.

"I still don't know." He said, frowning. Anna laughed.

"There's three." She said, smiling. "Three Black dragons are sleeping inside me." Urobos chuckled.

The Black dragon reached up and pulled his mate closer, so that he may kiss her.

"Thank you." He said once he leaned back.

"For what, Urobos?" Anna asked.

"For making me such a happy young man." The Black dragon answered. The Dark Red dragoness laughed.

"Your welcome, Urobos."

…

Urobos was excited. He was entering a new stage of his life: Fatherhood.

To Black dragons, raising children was one of the greatest responsibilities imaginable, outside of preserving order in the dragon realms. No Black dragon was allowed to have children unless they were deemed ready by their father. After years of waiting, Urobos was finally deemed ready. And now, he was days away from getting one step closer to being a father.

To celebrate the occasion, Urobos asked his father permission to travel with Anna to Faeshrine for a few days. King Hyperion approved of this request, but assigned several bodyguards to protect them, two of which were Deep Shadows: Ashton and Grail.

Ashton was a Space dragon, and somewhere in his mid-thirties. He had a Dark Red Hide and a Black underbelly. He had thick, brown mane, two bronze horns which pointed like Lightning bolts on the top of his head, and Poison green eyes.

Grail was a few years younger than Urobos, but twice as mature in tone. Ever since he joined the Deep Shadows, he kept a ridiculous watch over the Prince, never letting him out of his sight most of the time.

Urobos didn't mind this, though. After all, Grail was only doing his job. And he could order Grail to give him some space when need be.

When Urobos, Anna and their entourage left for Faeshrine, they ran into no problems. The two royal dragons enjoyed their stay in the Magic city, taking in the sights and speaking with the many people who respected the Black dragon.

But on their trip back to the Floating Plains, tragedy struck.

…

It was late at night in the Tarune forest.

Urobos, Anna, Ashton, Grail, and the rest of the entourage were making there way back to the Floating Plains. The thick forest canopy made flight extremely difficult, so the dragons had to travel on foot. It would have been too dark to see as well, but luckily the Dark dragons were able to see perfectly in the darkness.

Urobos and Anna walked in the middle of the entourage, the Dark Red dragoness walking close by her mate. Asthon and Grail led the entourage, while two Space dragons were at the very back. At least a half a dozen other dragon guards sandwiched the two Royals.

"How much farther, Ashton?" Urobos asked.

"If we keep traveling nonstop," The Deep Shadow answered, "We should reach the edge of the Forest by sunrise."

"Ah, Good."

After Urobos said this, Anna sighed sadly.

"Is something the matter, Anna?" Urobos asked, concerned.

"Nothing." The Dark Red dragoness replied.

"It doesn't _seem_ like nothing." The Prince responded. "What's bothering you?"

"I just wish we could have waited till morning to return to the Floating Plains." Anna said. "There's something eerie about the forest at night."

Urobos chuckled.

"Afraid of the dark, are we?" He chided. Anna glared at him.

"I am not!"

"It's okay if you are, Anna." The Black dragon responded, smiling. "We're all afraid of _something_." The Dragoness's glare weakened.

"I guess the dark forest thicket frightens me…a little.." Urobos pulled Anna closer to him.

"Well, you don't have to worry, Anna." He replied. "I'm here for you."

The Dark Red dragoness smiled.

"I know you are."

After this conversation ended, the entourage continued on its way. Little did any of these dragons know, they were being followed.

As the dragons walked onwards, something unexpected happened. Several Arrows silently flew out of the Forest canopy and struck the two dragons at the back of the entourage, impaling them all along their backs.

As these two cried out in pain, the others turned around to see them fall to the ground.

"What in the world?" Urobos shouted.

Before anyone could aid their weakened comrades, a storm of arrows came flying out of the canopy from all sides, hurtling towards the group.

"AMBUSH!" Grail bellowed.

Immediately, the Space dragons tried to teleport clear across the forest to get away. However, they found that a massive Blue barrier had appeared around them all, blocking their escape. Despite blocking the dragons, the barrier allowed the arrows to fly right through it, hurtling towards the dragons.

Urobos, thinking quickly, used his Memory element to create multiple psychic shields around his comrades, as well as himself and his wife. As soon as the Black dragon did this, several swears echoed across the forest canopy.

Suddenly, over a dozen and a half Cougars jumped into view, passing through the barrier with ease. Most of them had their Arrows fixed on the dragons, while a few of them were wielding wooden staffs and chanting some strange spell.

As the Cougars chanted their spell, the dragons found that their magic vanished. Urobos's psychic shields dissolved into nothingness. Immediately, the reason was made clear: The chanting Cougars

"KILL THEM!" Ashton bellowed.

The dragon guards leapt into battle. Urobos, meanwhile, stood in front of Anna, his wings outstretched to shield her from harm.

The area became filled with the sounds of roaring, chanting, clawing, and arrows flying as the two groups battled each other. At least four of the Cougars went after Urobos, ready to kill him and his mate.

For the most part, Urobos was able to keep them at bay. He clawed at them if they got too close, usually attempting to shatter their crossbows. He didn't allow himself to get cocky: one false step could spell disaster.

As the Black dragon defended Anna, more Cougars jumped into the area from out of the Forest. Some of them landed in front of Urobos and Anna, while others landed **behind** them. Immediately, The Black dragon turned around in an attempt to strike at the rear attackers. However, this left him completely exposed.

Several Arrows pierced Urobos's wings and back. He roared in pain. An instant later, he suddenly felt light-headed.

"What….?" He mumbled, disoriented.

The Black dragon fell to the ground, unable to move.

"UROBOS!" Anna screamed.

"Anna.." He said weakly.

There was only one explanation for his sudden state: The Arrowheads were dipped in poison. The Black dragon struggled to use what little of his Water and Pain elements remained at his command to cleanse himself of the Poison, but he was still too weak to lift himself off the ground.

After Urobos as deemed unable to fight, the Cougars ignored him and lunged at Anna.

Urobos watched in horror as the Cougars assaulted the Dark Red dragoness. She tried to fight back as best as she could, but the Cats overpowered her, slashing and clawing at her allover her body.

"…No…" The Black dragon muttered weakly. "Leave her alone…."

But they didn't. The Cougars continued their assault, horribly wounding the dragoness. As Urobos witnessed the event, something within him stirred.

"I said…." He stated, beginning to shake.

"Leave…"

The Black dragon began to give off a faint, purple aura.

"…her…"

Suddenly, Urobos's being was filled with energy, which exploded out of him.

"**ALOOOOOONE!"**

In a split second, Urobos was back onto his feet, snarling in rage. All of the other beings in the area, Dragon and Cat alike, looked at the Black dragon in astonishment.

The Black dragon was pulsing with Convexity energy. Purple lightning cackled across his body. His eyes glowed a Deep Purple. The Poison within him was now nonexistent.

Immediately, he teleported to the Cougars surrounding Anna, who now lay on the ground. The Black dragon opened his mouth, annihilating the Cougars with Convexity blasts. The Cats screamed in agony as they dissolved into nothingness.

Suddenly, several other Cougars started shooting arrows at Urobos from across the area. This was a mistake. The Black dragon destroyed the arrows with Convexity blasts, and then teleported over to the attacking Cougars. He slaughtered every single one of them.

Soon, all of the Cougars were dead, and the Blue Barrier faded away.

With the fighting ended, Urobos began to calm down, the Convexity energy fading away. Ashton and Grail ran up to the Prince.

"Are you alright, Urobos?" Ashton asked.

"I'm fine.." The Black dragon said, panting heavily. Suddenly, he gasped.

"ANNA!"

Immediately, he ran over to his mate, shoving the other dragons away.

"MOVE IT, YOU FOOLS!"

The Dark Red dragoness was being looked over by several of the Dragon Guards. She was lying on her side. She was covered almost completely in various stab wounds, and was bleeding profusely. She was barely breathing.

The very sight of her in that state brought tears to Urobos's eyes.

"BY THE ANCESTORS!" He screamed.

Immediately, Urobos set to work, using his Water and Pain elements to heal Anna as best as he could. The dragoness struggled to look up at him.

"..Urobos?" She asked, weakly.

"I'm here, Anna!" He reassured. "I'll save you and the children!"

Tears flowed out of Anna's eyes.

"..They're dead…"

"What?

"Two of our children….They're dead.."

"No…" Urobos said, incredulous. "How can that be?"

"The Cougars…they stabbed my belly multiple times… I could feel two of the eggs get pierced right through…"

Urobos started to cry harder.

"..No.." He said again. "This can't be happening.."

Anna cried harder as well.

"I don't have long for this world either…"

"NO!" Urobos shouted. "That's not true! I won't let you die like this!"

"There's nothing you can do, Urobos…"

"Of course there is!"

The Black dragon began working at a frantic pace, healing every single wound he could find. But alas, Anna wasn't getting a single bit better.

"The damage has already been done.." She said solemnly. "My fate is sealed…"

"DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!" Urobos exclaimed. "You'll get better! And then, we'll try again to have children! And we'll be able to raise them, just as we always wanted to with the last three!"

"Urobos…" Anna responded. "One of the eggs is still intact."

"What?"

"By some miracle, the egg escaped damage…. Could you do me a favor, Urobos?"

"Of course! What is it?"

"Use your sword to cut it out of me."

Urobos was flabbergasted by the request.

"Madness!" He replied. "I would never harm you in such a way!"

"Urobos, please…" Anna responded, getting weaker. "I'm going to die soon anyway. I don't want to drag my only remaining child with me."

Urobos thought for a moment. And then, he summoned his sword into his right forepaw.

"Alright." He said, crying again. "I'll do it.. For you."

Urobos used his free forepaw to gently push Anna onto her back, revealing her belly. He then placed his forepaw on her underside, using his Pain element to remove the dragoness's ability to feel the pain from the injury he was about to inflict. At the same time, a few of the dragon guards helped Anna look away.

Reluctantly, Urobos drove the tip of his sword into Anna's belly, piercing her flesh. He then sliced a small hole in her, struggling not to vomit at the sight of the flowing blood. Once the cut was large enough and deep enough, Urobos placed the sword down and pulled the flesh open, revealing Anna's pocket of flesh within her.

Inside that pocket of flesh, Urobos saw three eggs, two of which were shattered. The Black dragon reached into Anna, firmly grasped the single surviving egg, and pulled it out of her. He then sealed the wound on Anna's belly, not wanting to look upon its hideousness.

Urobos then presented the egg to her.

"Here it is, Anna." He said sadly. "Our single surviving child."

The Dark Red dragoness turned to look at the egg. She smile weakly.

"Thank you, Urobos." She said.

"Is there any name that you wish for me to give him?" The Black dragon asked.

"…..Bane." Anna answered. "Name him Bane."

"I will."

Anna struggled to place a forepaw on her mate's foreleg.

"I love you, Urobos." This statement made the Black dragon's tears flow even harder.

"I love you just as much, Anna." He said.

Anna smiled, laying her head down on the ground.

"Goodbye."

The dragoness shut her eyes. She would never open them again.

Urobos sat on the ground before Anna's body, holding his son's egg in his forepaws. He roared in Grief. He then placed his child's egg on the ground and embraced Anna's body, overcome by sadness. Ashton, Grail, and the other dragons around them only stood watch, not daring to speak to the broken-hearted Prince.

Urobos's pain would never leave him after this night. Even when he tried to put a smile on his face and the faces of others, deep down, he was a broken man.

And he would only continue to suffer, even in the present day.


	17. Act 2, Chapter 5

Act 2, Chapter 5

The next morning, in the present day.

It was another typical morning for Flame. Like always, he was woken up by Arthur.

"Time to get up, man!" The dragonfly shouted into the red dragon's ear hole .

Flame slowly sat up, wiping a few orange strands of hair from his eyes.

"Morning." He said through a yawn. "Blank still here?"

"Naw, he left for the grasslands a short while ago." Arthur answered. "Seraph's gone too. She left to speak to the Guardians."

Flame stretched his back.

"Well, I guess we might as well get going too, then." He said. "I'm kinda hungry."

Flame and Arthur left the building and flew East to the Grasslands area. When they arrived, they spotted Blank, Ember and Roxanne eating sheep. To Flame's surprise, he also spotted Emerald sitting among them. The Green dragoness was eating a sheep as well, but she was being heavily watched by several dragons dressed in battle armor, who were standing close by.

"What's up with them?" Arthur asked.

"Beats me." Flame answered.

The red dragon flew after a sheep, caught it, and carried it over to where the other young dragons were sitting. Ember waved to him as he came to a stop near them.

"Good morning!" She said happily.

"Nice to see you again." Emerald added.

"Hi." Flame said to her.

"What's with those guys?" Arthur asked, motioning towards the armored dragons.

"Oh, them?" The green dragoness sighed. "Mother assigned them to keep an eye on me whenever I leave our home. She's adamant in her decision to keep me from joining in the fighting."

"Well, you're not missing much. Fighting those Crepsculi isn't a game, you know."

"Will you two shut up?" Roxanne exclaimed angrily. "I can't hear myself think!"

Emerald turned and glared at the Yellow dragoness.

"You could always go away, you know." She replied. "You seem to be finished with your meal."

"Is that the best response you can come up with? Typical lack of imagination!"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Blank shouted. "Put a sock in it, already!"

"Stay out of this, Blanky!" Roxanne snapped. The Orange dragon groaned.

"Look, we rounds to make." He said, spreading his wings. "Come on."

The Yellow dragoness rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

Blank and Roxanne took off into flight, leaving Flame, Ember and Emerald alone. The Pink dragoness rolled her eyes.

"Why does Roxanne always have to be such a witch?" She asked.

"I'd like to know that as well." Flame added. Emerald sighed.

"Well, it's a long story." She replied.

"We've got some time." The pink dragoness responded.

"Well, if you insist…"

Ember got comfortable as Emerald began her tale.

"The first thing you should know about Roxanne is: she didn't get the privileged upbringing that I, or even Nellie and Blank got while growing up. Her parents, two dragons named Seamus and Velma, always had to struggle to make ends meet."

"That's sad." Ember replied.

"That's life." Arthur stated.

"Right." Emerald responded. "Anyway, Roxanne grew up believing that you had to earn luxuries and opportunity through hard work. Since Nobles, such as myself, seemed to always get whatever they wanted with little to no effort, Roxanne developed animosity towards Nobles. Well, most of them, at least."

"What do you mean by that?" Flame asked.

"When Roxanne was a cub, she actually became friends with Blankridge, and even better friends with Nellie."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm very serious."

"But, aren't the families of Guardians considered Nobles?" Ember asked.

"Actually, no. You see, while Guardians _do_ make above-average amounts of money, they aren't nearly as wealthy as most Nobles. And furthermore, being a Guardian can be a risky business, since Guardians are required to defend the city and/or its citizens in times of crisis. So, Roxanne believes that, in a way, Guardians earn their right to have luxuries."

"If all of that's true, then why is Roxanne always so hostile towards Blank nowadays?" Flame asked.

"Well, like I said before, Roxanne was friendly towards Blank and Nellie when she was younger, but not towards me. When we all started attending school together, Roxanne acted hostile towards me. Nellie did the same."

"What?" Ember exclaimed, astonished. "No way! Nellie isn't a jerk like Roxanne!"

"You're right: Nellie has always been a soft, kind-hearted girl. She was only doing what Roxanne said out of peer pressure."

"I guess that makes sense." Flame replied.

"Right. Anyway, while Nellie did what Roxanne said, Blank was more assertive, and didn't like the way I was being treated. So, he stopped hanging out with Roxanne, and tried befriending me. I avoided him at first: I thought he was an idiot."

"That's not entirely inaccurate." Arthur said.

Emerald, Ember and Flame laughed at the dragonfly's statement.

"True, very true." Emerald said, calming down. "But he's a loveable idiot. It didn't take long for me to open up to him. When this happened, Roxanne started acting like a little bitch towards the both of us. Seeing Rox insult Nellie's brother weakened their friendship a bit. It only got weaker when Rune arrived."

"Rune?" Flame asked, interested. "How did he matter?"

"I didn't know it back then, but after Rune was adopted into Hontus and Seraph's family, Nellie started developing a crush on him. At the same time, Roxanne had fallen for him as well. And unlike Nellie, Roxanne liked to drop subtle hints that she liked Rune. For five years, Nellie and Roxanne were subconsciously competing for Rune's affections, though neither of them brought it up. For a while, it seemed like Roxanne would win, since Rune started realizing that she liked him. However…"

"What?" Ember asked.

"All of Roxanne's advances ended up being for naught when the Malefor Ordeal began. After Rune ran away, and Blank, Nellie and I chased after him to bring him back, Roxanne became worried sick about Rune. She decided to come out and just tell Rune outright that she had a crush on him, once he came back to Glenhaven. But when he finally came back, Roxanne was shocked to discover several things: That Rune was a Black dragon, that he was a Prince, the Noblest of Nobles, and that Rune and Nellie had started being a couple."

"How did she take it?" Arthur queried.

"Roxanne wasn't too happy about the whole thing. While it took her some time to adjust to the fact that Rune was a prince, Roxanne let is slide when she found out about all of the harsh things that Rune went through while growing up. But she never could accept the fact that Nellie had gotten him before she could. And Roxanne didn't think it should have even been allowed: Rune had been Nellie's adoptive brother for five years. So, Roxanne saw their new relationship as a form of incest."

"But didn't he become un-adopted when he returned to living with his family?" Flame asked.

"Yes, but for the next four years since the Malefor Ordeal ended, Rune had been spending half of the year living with Hontus and Seraph here in Glenhaven. He was still seen as part of the family. This was enough for Roxanne to consider Rune and Nellie's relationship as 'Noble inbreeding'."

Flame shifted uncomfortably.

"But, didn't Roxanne still have affections for Rune?" He asked.

"Yes, she did. She only acted hostile towards Nellie, and completely stopped whenever Rune was in town. Roxanne has been trying to get Rune and Nellie to break up, so that _She_ could swoop in and be Rune's girlfriend."

"She hasn't had much success, has she?" Arthur asked.

"Nope."

"Do you think she's given up on Rune now, what with him turning EVIL and kidnapping Nellie and all?"

"I can't really say." Emerald responded, nodding. "I wish I knew, though. For her sake, she should give up on him."

"HEY!" Someone shouted. Blank came to a landing next to Flame and Ember.

"Will you slowpokes hurry up? He have rounds to make!"

Flame and Ember rolled their eyes.

"Looks like we have to go, Emmy." Ember said, taking off into flight. "Bye!"

"It was nice chatting with you, Emerald." Flame added, smiling. "Thanks for telling me the story."

"Your welcome." Emerald replied, returning the smile. "Maybe next time, you can tell me the story about you and Hope." The red dragon chuckled.

"Sure."

Flame and Arthur took off after Blank and Ember, beginning their patrol of the city walls.

…

Tyrrany, Denzel and Angela had spent the entire night traveling across the Arcus desert. The young Purple dragoness wanted to waste no time in getting to Glenhaven. She didn't know if the destruction of the Mountains of Kilon had begun yet, but she certainly didn't want to sit around and wait for the backlash.

Along the way, Angela had asked Tyrrany various questions, about who she was, what she was doing out in the desert, why she looked familiar, as well as other things. Tyrrany didn't want to reveal _everything_ about herself, but she did answer some things.

The Purple dragoness told Angela that she used to live in Faeshrine as the child of one of the "higher-ups" in the FTC. They had met at a party some six months ago, but didn't speak a word to each other. She also said that she had gotten into a… disagreement with her father, and left Faeshrine because of it. She refused to discuss anything else, though.

As the morning sun rose on the Eastern Horizon, Tyrrany and Angela came to a landing to rest on the desert sands. They had been traveling nonstop all night long. Denzel had fallen asleep on Tyrrany's back hours ago: the young dragoness was careful not to let him fall off. Luckily, his wing blades held him in place for the most part. Now that they were on the ground, Tyrrany lifted Denzel off of her by back by his gruff, and cradled him in her forelegs. The hatchling was snoring peacefully.

"Your son is adorable." Angela commented, smiling.

"Thank you." Tyrrany replied.

"How old is he?"

"He hatched some four months ago."

"I see…" Angela shifted uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" Tyrrany asked, noticing the Earth dragoness's strange behavior.

"If I may ask…" Angela began, "was he planned?"

The Purple dragoness was taken aback by the question.

"Why do you ask?" She replied, an eyebrow raised.

"It's just that….you seem so young yourself. To be caring for a hatchling at your age is unusual."

Tyrrany looked away, sighing.

"You're right." She said solemnly. "And no, Denzel was not planned."

"The why-?"

"About six months ago, I did something I'm not proud of to a close friend." Tyrrany stated. "He only wanted to make me happy, and I abused him."

She looked down at the sleeping Denzel, a frown on her face.

"And now, each and every day, this little one serves as a reminder of one of the horrible deeds I've committed. But don't get me wrong: I love Denzel. I just wish he was conceived via a consensual mating."

Angela didn't respond, but she knew what Tyrrany meant.

"Where is your friend now?" Angela asked.

"He's somewhere in Glenhaven." The Purple dragoness answered. "I plan to finally tell him that he has a son."

"What will you do then?"

"I….I don't know." Tyrrany looked to the west, where the city of Glenhaven was hiding in the darkness of the Western Horizon. "I just hope that he doesn't hate Denzel for being living proof of his violation."

"I wish I could give words of encouragement." Angela replied, "But I don't know the nature of your friend's behavior."

Tyrrany sighed.

"However," the Earth dragoness continued, "You mustn't give up hope. Maybe your friend will forgive you for what you did to him."

"He already did. But that was before I discovered that I was to bear and egg."

"If he's already forgiven you, than surely he will accept Denzel. You have nothing to worry about."

Tyrrany turned around and faced the older dragoness.

"Thank you, Angela."

"Your welcome, Anny."

The Purple dragoness placed Denzel down and stretched her neck.

"Let's get some sleep", she said. "I'm exhausted.

"Agreed." Angela responded. "I could use some shut-eye as well."

The two dragonesses laid down on the desert sands, using their wings to shield themselves. Tyrrany placed Denzel up next to her, wrapping him up in her forelegs.

As she slipped into slumber, she quietly whispered to her hatchling.

"Sleep well, my darling."

…

It was almost Noon.

Once again, it was another slow day for Flame and the others. Not a single one of them spotted any Crepsculi anywhere.

When were they going to attack again? Not that Flame _wanted_ to attack, but it seemed extremely suspicious that they would all suddenly disappear for several days.

At least Flame and the others didn't look like slackers. If Crepsculi attacked, someone was **bound** to have noticed, and the young dragons would have all gotten into deep trouble.

Flame came to a landing at the usual spot on the wall, with Arthur floating nearby. Blank, Ember and Roxanne came to a landing as well. The Orange and Yellow dragons had let their dispute die for the moment, but they looked ready to tear into each other, as is usual for them.

"This is really getting old." Arthur commented.

"Yeah." Blank added. "Where the fuck are the Crepsculi?"

"Do you think maybe they went into hiding?" Ember asked.

"Now, that's just stupid." Roxanne commented. "Where could the possibly hide in a DESERT?"

"Hey, no need to shout!" The Pink dragoness replied.

"Oh yes there is! I'm getting tired of you saying stupid things every five minutes!"

"Will you stop it!" Blank snapped. "We're getting tired of **your** crap as well!"

Flame sighed in defeat as the Orange and Yellow dragons went through yet another argument.

"Here we go again."

The Red dragon and his dragonfly companion prepared to fly away.

"Well, our shift's over." Flame said to the others. "Arthur and I are heading off on our own."

"Hey, wait up!" Ember suddenly shouted, catching up to them.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"Do you guys mind if I join you guys this time?" The Pink dragon asked.

"Uh, why?" Flame asked.

Ember motioned back at Blank and Roxanne, who were still locked in an argument.

"All they ever do is fight. It's actually gotten boring."

Arthur laughed at the comment.

"Well, I don't see a reason why you can't hang with us." the dragonfly said. He turned to face Flame. "What about you?"

The red dragon shrugged.

"It's alright with me." He said.

"Thanks!" Ember exclaimed, eyes gleaming.

As Blank and Roxanne started escalating their argument, Flame, Arthur and Ember flew off to the Eastern side of Glenhaven for lunch.

…

The two dragons caught one sheep each and came to a landing on the far Eastern side of the Grasslands, resting just before the Great stone walls

As they were eating, Ember insisted on talking to the boys, even when she had food in he mouth.

"So how long have you two been friends?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know…" Flame answered.

"At least six years or so." Arthur added.

"Really? That's quite a long time." Ember replied. "I remember my old friends Trixie and Cinna. We were friends for a long time too."

"That's nice." Flame said halfheartedly. Ember didn't seem to pick up on that.

"Uh-huh. We were best friends forever! Well, at least until my parents sent me to Glenhaven to attend the school here. And I haven't seen or heard from any of them since I came here…" The Pink dragoness started to get sad at this point. "To make matters worse, with all the monsters plaguing the world, I don't even know if they're okay.."

Ember started to cry.

"I miss them so much…"

Flame couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. He decided to try to cheer her up.

"Hey, there's no need to cry." He said reassuringly. "Just because you haven't seen them in a while doesn't mean that you'll never see them again."

Ember wiped her eyes with her forepaws.

"You really think so?"

"Of course." Flame replied, smiling. "I haven't seen my mom in over six months, and even though I miss her, I'm confident that I'll see her again. You should be the same: Instead of acting like their gone for good, think about how great it will be when you finally see your friends and family again."

Ember stopped crying and smiled. She then immediately ran forwards and hugged Flame tightly, much to his surprise.

"Thanks, Flame!" She exclaimed. "You're the best!"

"Um.. Your welcome." He responded, grimacing from the tightness of Ember's grip. "Could you let me go, now? I'm having trouble breathing."

The Pink dragoness gasped, and let go of Flame.

"Oops." She said, blushing. "Sorry!"

Arthur laughed at the sight.

"What's wrong, Flame?" He chided. "Can't handle a hug from a girl?"

"Shut up, ya little knat!" The red dragon replied, sticking his tongue out. Arthur laughed again.

"That's your comeback? 'Shut up, ya little knat'?"

"You want a better comeback?" Flame asked, cocking an eyebrow. "How about _this_?"

Immediately, Flame spat a small burst of Fire breath about a foot away from Arthur. The dragonfly wasn't going to get hit by it, but he jumped in shock anyway, yelping.

"HEY!" He protested.

Ember and Flame started to laugh.

"It's not funny! You could have toasted me, man!"

"Oh, the fire didn't even get _near_ you." Flame replied, grinning. "And besides, I'd never burn you; I need you around for entertainment value."

"Only because you're so boring on your own." Arthur responded.

This time, all three of them laughed.

Flame liked this. He liked being able to hang out with Ember and the others. Despite the way most of the adults treated him, the other kids and teenagers welcomed Flame with open forelegs, and made him a part of their circle. They were friends.

And yet, Flame couldn't help but wish that Tyrrany was here. He wanted the White dragoness to be a part of this circle: To be accepted. Flame would do anything for that to be made a reality.

Someday, he would find Tyrrany, and do everything in his power to get the other dragons to forgive her of her mistakes, and accept her into their community, just like she was supposed to six months ago.

When the laugther finally came to an end, Flame decided that he was finished with his meal.

"Well, I'm done here." He said. "Let's get going."

"Okay." Ember replied.

Once the remains of the sheep were disposed of, Flame, Arthur and Ember took off into the sky…

However, as soon as Flame was high enough, he heard something. An inaudible sound was echoing across the sky.

"What the…?" He asked, looking around.

"What's wrong?" Ember asked.

"Don't you hear that?" He replied. "Listen."

The dragons and dragonfly hovered in the air for a minute, listening for the sound.

Soon, it started to come from the Far East, across the Arcus desert. After a moment, it got louder, making it easier to decipher. Flame turned to the Eastern Horizon to see what was making the noise. He gasped.

The sound was a struggle, between dragons and beasts. Off in the distance, the red dragon spotted two dragons fighting against a swarm of black-skinned monsters as the dragons fled towards the safety of the city of Glenhaven.

"SOUND THE ALARM!" Flame exclaimed to Arthur and Ember. "ALERT THE GUARD IMMEDIATELY!"

"What is it?" Arthur demanded. Flame responded with one word.

"CREPSCULI!"

Immediately, Flame turned and zoomed out over the Eastern wall, intent on aiding the two dragons.

"Flame, waitaminute!" the dragonfly shouted to him. But it was no use.

"Crap." Arthur turned to Ember. "Come on, Pinky! We've got Guards to alert!"

Right!" Ember agreed.

The Pink dragon and Green dragonfly raced towards the nearest Guard post, while the Red dragon raced towards the other two dragons in desperate need of aid.

Little did he know, a big surprise awaited him.


	18. Act 2, Chapter 6

Act 2, Chapter 6

It was some time before Noon.

Denzel slowly woke up, surprised to find himself wrapped up in his mother's arms. The last thing he remembered, he was lying on her back, resting his head against her neck.

"Mommy and the other lady must have decided to go to sleep some time." He decided.

The Purple hatchling looked around. Orange sand stretched onwards forever in all directions. Denzel frowned.

"This place is boring." He said. "There's nowhere to play."

Suddenly, Denzel heard his stomach growl.

"I'm hungry again." He realized. "Where can I find something to eat?"

Denzel looked around again, trying to spot any small mice or rats wandering around.

At fist, he didn't see any. But then, he saw something.

A small rat was running across the sand. It was bigger than what Denzel was used to, but the hatchling was excited to see it anyway.

"That looks yummy!" He declared. He turned and looked at Tyrrany. "I'll be right back, Mommy!"

Denzel readied himself and chased after the rat, remembering the techniques his mother taught him to catch it.

…

A few minutes later, Denzel was a short distance away from Tyrrany and Angela, sitting on the desert sands and eating his rat. It didn't taste as good as what he was used to back in the Mountain lands, but it was still okay.

_I wonder what kind of animals live in Glehavey?_, Denzel thought. _I can't wait to find out…_

As Denzel was eating, another thought came to his head.

_I wonder if I'll get to meet my Daddy soon._

Ever since Tyrrany told Denzel that he had a father, the hatchling wondered who he was, what he looked like, etc. From what his mother said, Denzel's father sounded like a nice dragon, and probably missed his mother every day.

_I can't wait to meet him_, the hatchling thought.

As Denzel was thinking, he suddenly heard strange noises coming from behind him.

"Huh?" He asked.

The Purple hatchling turned around, curious. To his surprise, several strange black creatures were crawling out of large black pools on the ground.

As the creatures walked towards him, the hatchling immediately recognized them: They were more of those monsters that attacked him and his mother the other day.

Denzel took several steps back, frightened.

"S..Stop!" he yelled. "Don't come closer!"

Something strange happened. As soon as Denzel said that, the monsters stopped approaching him. And they weren't growling anymore.

"What..?" Denzel asked, confused. "Why did you stop?"

None of the monsters answered. The hatchling scratched his head.

"Did…did you stop because I told you to?"

Still no response.

The Hatchling thought for a minute.

"Uh…" He said. "…Sit down."

Immediately, the monsters sat down on their haunches, focusing on Denzel. The hatchling's eyes gleamed.

"You're really listening to me!"

And so, Denzel decided to have some fun.

"Let's wrestle!" He declared.

The hatchling charged forwards, leaping onto the nearest creature he saw.

…

Tyrrany slowly woke up. She began stretching her back. She had lost all feeling in the wing she was sleeping on top of.

"That's going to take a while to get back to normal." She stated through a yawn.

The Purple dragoness was slowly getting onto her feet, when she suddenly realized something:

Her son was missing.

"Denzel?" She asked, looking around. "Where are you, little one?"

The Purple dragoness looked all around at the Desert, getting hysterical.

"DENZEL!"

Suddenly, Tyrrany spotted a group of Black monsters flocked together off to the West. She could here faint cries coming from the center of the flock. It was Denzel.

Immediately, the Purple dragoness teleported away, and reappeared before the flock, roaring like a mighty Beast.

Tyrrany ripped and tore at the creatures, which she discovered were Crepsculi, which only served to enrage her more.

One by one, Tyrrany slaughtered the Black monsters, until she reached her son.

"Mommy?" He asked. "What are you doing?"

To Tyrrany's surprise, Denzel was completely unharmed. Not a single claw mark or bleeding wound anywhere.

"Weren't those monsters hurting you?" Tyrrany asked Denzel.

"No." He replied. "We were just playing."

"PLAYING?"

"Uh-huh. Why did you have to hurt them, Mommy?"

"I thought they were trying to hurt you, little one." Another thought came in to Tyrrany's head. "What were you doing 'playing' with them in the first place, Denzel?"

"Well, when I woke up, I was hungry." Denzel replied. "So, I went to look for something to eat. When I found something to eat, the black creatures appeared. I thought they were going to hurt me, but then they started doing what I said. So, I decided to wrestle with them."

Tyrrany was dumbstruck by what the Hatchling said. The Crepsculi followed his orders? How was that possible? There must have been more to what happened. However, The Purple dragoness decided to focus on that at a later time.

"If you wanted to find something to eat," Tyrrany scolded, "You should have woken me up."

"But I didn't want to disturb you, Mommy." Denzel responded.

"That's no excuse, Denzel. I can't allow you to run off unsupervised. It's dangerous out here: You need supervision."

Denzel looked down at the ground, frowning.

"I'm Sorry, Mommy."

The Purple dragoness sighed.

"Denzel, look at me."

The hatchling did as she said, and she continued.

"I don't want you wandering of alone because you could get hurt. If you were ever badly hurt when I could have prevented it, it'd make me sad. And when I saw those monsters surrounding you, I was afraid of what they might've done to you."

"They weren't hurting me, Mommy."

"Even it that's true, it's not normal behavior for those creatures. The next ones we see might-"

Suddenly, Tyrrany heard growling and hissing coming from all around her.

Tyrrany and Denzel were surrounded by Crepsculi, which had just crawled out of pools of Darkness.

…

Moments later, Angela was woken up by the sounds of a struggle. She bolted up right, shaking the drowsiness away, and looked in the noise's direction.

She was shocked to see the Purple dragoness locked in combat against several black monsters, of which there were over a dozen. Anny was standing over her son Denzel, protecting him from attack. The hatchling was asleep; His mother had used her Memory element to place him in that state, so that his crying didn't distract her.

"ANNY!" exclaimed, running to her aid.

Angela unleashed her Earth breath to strike several of the beasts out of the air just before they could get the drop on the Purple dragoness.

"Thanks." Anny said.

"Your welcome."

As Anny stood in place, Angela circled her, attacking any of the monsters that got too close.

"I recognize these beasts!" The Green dragoness declared. "They're the same as the monsters that attacked my village."

"They're called Crepsculi." Anny replied, slashing at one of them. "They're creatures born of darkness."

After fighting for a while, it seemed like the dragoness would be victorious.

However, to their alarm, more Crepsculi crawled out of the ground, replacing the ones that fell. And there were at least twice as many now.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Angele exclaimed. "We need to flee!"

"Right!" Anny agreed. She scooped Denzel up off the ground and took to flight.

"To Glenhaven!"

Immediately, Anny and Angele fled West, towards the city of Glenhaven. The swarm of Crepsculi chased after them.

Little did they realize that help was already on its way.

…

As Flame raced towards the approaching dragonesses, he spotted something he hadn't before. The smaller dragoness, a Purple one, was holding a hatchling in her arms.

_I need to move even FASTER, before the kid gets hurt!_ He decided.

The two dragonesses seemed surprised by the red dragon's sudden appearance, but that didn't matter now. Instead, he focused on attacking the Crepsculi.

…

Tyrrany couldn't believe her eyes.

Flame was here. He was flying right towards her, presumably to help her and Angela shake off the pursuing Crepsculi.

Tyrrany hadn't seen Flame in over six months. Not a day went by when she didn't long to see him again. And now, here he was.

She wanted to embrace him. She wanted more than anything to hold him close. But she couldn't. Not now.

Right now, Tyrrany had to focus on getting Denzel to safety. And besides, Flame wouldn't recognize her in her disguised state.

So, Tyrrany continued onwards towards Glenhaven, not even stopping to glance at the red dragon. She shed a few tears as she traveled onwards.

_Flame…_

…

The first Crepsculi Flame targeted were the ones directly at the front of the swarm, closing in on the Earth dragoness. The Red dragon opened his mouth and burned the Black beasts to a crisp.

Flame then tailed behind the Green dragoness, attacking any Crepsculi that got too close.

"Thank you, young man!" The dragoness said to him.

"Your welcome!" Flame responded.

As the three dragons fled towards Glenhaven, over a dozen dragons dressed in silver armor flew out from the city and towards the trio. Most of them flew past, but one of them, a large Lightning dragon, stopped before the trio, causing them to slow down.

"Follow me back to the city." He commanded. "I'll escort you to the city."

"Okay." Tyrrany and Angela agreed.

The Lightning dragon led Tyrrany and Angela to the city, Flame tailing behind them for support. Meanwhile, the dozen dragons combated the Crepsculi, making short work of them.

…

A short while later, Tyrrany, Denzel and Angela were now safe within the confines of the city. The Lightning and Red dragons had taken them to a shelter for dragons who passed through the city on business, as well as dragons with no homes.

"You may stay here for the time being." The Lightning dragon said. "At least until you can get back on your feet."

"Thank you." Tyrrany replied. Angela, however, frowned.

"As nice as that knowledge is," She stated, "I need to speak to the leader of this city immediately."

"On what business, ma'am?" The Lightning dragon asked.

"I'm the former leader of the northern settlements of the Mountains of Kilon."

"Former?" the young Red dragon asked.

"I say former because the Mountains of Kilon, and all of its settlements, are now no more."

The two male dragons gasped.

"Impossible!" The Lightning dragon declared.

"I speak the truth!" Angela replied. "You can have a Memory dragon search my mind to see if I'm lying."

"Fair enough. I'll take you to see Lady Mimet immediately." The Lightning dragon said. He turned to face his younger companion. "You're free to go."

"Alright." He replied. "See ya."

As the Flame turned to fly away, Tyrrany sighed. Meanwhile, the Lightning dragon spoke again.

"Follow me." He said, turning in a different direction.

"I'm going to explore the city with my son." Tyrrany said to Angela. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Will you be alright on your own?" The Earth dragoness asked.

"I'll be fine."

"Alright. May the ancestors look after you, Anny."

Tyrrany nodded, and then turned in the other direction and flew off. Angela and The Lightning dragon left in the other direction.

After flying off in that direction for a while, Tyrrany started to make a bee line around the city, heading in the direction she thought she saw Flame take.

_There's no way I'm hiding from him_, she decided.

After flying around for a bit, she spotted the red dragon flying towards the Grasslands area. The Purple dragoness flew followed him there. And then, once she got as close to him as she felt was necessary, she took in a deep breath.

_Here goes…._

…

Flame flew towards the Grasslands area, looking for Ember and Arthur. He didn't know if they were going to return there after running off to alert the guards.

_It's as good a place as any to look for them_, he decided.

As the red dragon approached the Grasslands, something unexpected happened: Someone called out to him.

"FLAME!" They shouted.

"Huh?" He replied, startled.

Flame turned around to see who was calling him.

A Purple dragoness flew up to Flame. And it wasn't just _any_ dragoness: It was one of the two dragonesses he had helped earlier. She was still carrying the sleeping hatchling in her forelegs.

"You again?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. "And how do you know my name?"

"You don't recognize me? Or my voice?" The dragoness asked, frowning.

"Uh, should I?"

The dragoness sighed.

"Do you have a few spare minutes?" She asked. "I'd like to show you something."

"Umm…"

"It won't take long."

"Okay." Flame said. "What do you want to show me?"

"We'll have to go somewhere else."

"What?" the Red dragon exclaimed. "Why?"

"I promise that it won't take too long."

Flame rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said. "This had better be good."

"Thank you." The Purple dragoness turned around. "Follow me. I know a good spot."

The dragoness led Flame clear across the city, towards the southern section. Along the way, the Red dragon couldn't help but wonder who this dragoness and her son were.

_What's with this girl?_

Eventually, she came to a landing in front of an old abandoned house. But it wasn't just any old house: It was the same one that Flame used to stay in.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "How do you know about this place?"

"Still don't remember me, Flame?" The dragoness asked, frowning. "Well, you'll figure it out soon enough."

The dragoness walked into the house, Flame following behind.

Once the both of them were inside, the dragoness set the hatchling she was carrying down on the floor and closed the door behind Flame.

"Okay, now that we're here," the Red dragon stated, "What is it you want to show me? And just who _are_ you?"

The dragoness took a deep sigh. She raised one of her forepaws out in front of her.

"This form you see is a disguise, Flame."

"What?'

A moment later, a small black orb appeared in the dragoness's paw. And then, her Purple hide suddenly turned black, becoming covered in dark energy.

This alone startled Flame. But what happened **next** nearly made him jump in surprise.

The Dark energy covering the dragoness flowed off of her and into her paw, leaving her hide a different Color: White. Her Red mane changed to Black. Her eyes became Blood Red. And two Red Symbols glowed on her sides.

It was Tyrrany.

…

"NO WAY!" Flame shouted. "THERE'S JUST NO WAY!"

"Flame, it's me." Tyrrany replied, half-smiling.

"It can't be!" The Red dragon snapped. "You can't possibly…..It's not…. You can't…"

Flame started to tear up.

"Oh, Anny…"

The Red dragon ran forwards and wrapped his forelegs around the White dragoness, crying. Tyrrany accepted the embrace, holding Flame close. She cried as well.

For a while, the two young dragons were silent. After being apart for so long, they were finally reunited. Tyrrany placed her head against Flame's, and allowed him to kiss her forehead.

"I've missed you so much, Flame." She said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Where've been all these months?" Flame asked. "I've been so worried about you."

"I was hiding in the Mountains of Kilon."

"How'd you end up there?"

"Rune teleported me there on the day when my father resurrected the Victiumirti."

"Rune?"

"Well, not Rune actually, but an evil being that possessed Rune's body. His name is Runefor."

"Rune**for**?" Flame asked skeptically. "That's not very original."

"Well, he was given that name by Rune. But in any case, Runefor sent me to the Mountains of Kilon, and I lived in hiding there for six months."

"Why did you decide to leave?" Flame asked.

"Don't you remember what that woman Angela said? The Mountains of Kilon have been completely destroyed."

The Red dragon was astonished.

"Destroyed? By who?"

"Runefor. He's planning to destroy the rest of the world as well."

"So he's in league with Bergan?"

"Actually, he's competing with them. He's even killed one of the Victiumirti already."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that."

Suddenly, a thought came to Flame's head. He turned his head and glanced curiously at the sleeping hatchling.

"Say, who's this?" He asked. Tyrrany sighed, approaching the hatchling.

"Flame, this is going to be very hard for me to tell you." She said solemnly.

The White dragoness created another orb of darkness in her paw, this time much smaller.

Suddenly, two small patches of Dark energy appeared on the hatchling's sides, and flew into Tyrrany's paw. In their wake were two small red symbols.

"Flame, this is Denzel." Tyrrany said. "He's your son."

Flame's saw hit the floor.

"WHAT?" He asked, completely amazed. "How's that even possible? When did…"

Suddenly, Flame came to realization.

"Oh…"

Tyrrany looked at the floor, ashamed.

"On the night when I… violated you, Denzel was conceived." Tears flowed from the dragoness's eyes. "He's living proof that I raped you. I'm so sorry."

Flame approached Tyrrany, saddened to see her in that state.

"Anny, I already forgave you for violating me months ago." He said reassuringly. "You don't have to keep apologizing for it."

The Red dragon glanced down at his son.

"And as for Denzel, well… I'll be honest: This isn't something I'm excited to hear about…"

"I guessed as much.." Tyrrany replied.

"But don't get me wrong, Anny. I've always wanted to be your mate, and to spend my life together with you. I even imagined that we'd have kids someday. This is just… several years earlier than I expected."

"So you're not mad?"

"Of course not…" Flame answered, smiling. "If you want me to help you raise him, I'll be there for you. I'll just need to get used to the fact that I have a son now."

Tyrrany smiled back.

"Thank you, Flame. You always do so much for me."

"That's because I love you, Tyrrany."

"Don't call me that name anymore." She said seriously. "'Tyrrany' is the wrongful pseudonym that _He_ gave to me. Please, call me 'Hope', from now on."

"Okay…" Flame replied. "May I still call you Anny?" The dragoness giggled.

"Of course you may."

Flame laughed.

"So, now that you've arrived in Glenhaven," The Red dragon responded, "What will you do now?"

"I want to be with you." Tyrrany answered. "I want to be your mate, even if it means telling the whole world where I am."

"I don't think revealing you presence would be a good idea." Flame replied. "Even though I know you were tricked into killing Queen Elenar, a lot of people think you did it with intent. There are beings out there hunting you down like a criminal."

Tyrrany frowned.

"I know that. That's why I used a Shroud of Darkness to disguise myself and Denzel."

"What we need is for you to find and talk to Lord Spyro, King Urobos, or Lady Cynder." The Red dragon stated. "Unlike most of the other dragons, those three will hear you out. Once we've convinced them that you were manipulated by Bergan, it won't be long before you're cleared of all charges."

"Do you really think it will be that easy?"

"I'll do anything in my power to help you, Anny. You can be sure of that."

Tyrrany smiled.

"If you say so, Flame.."

"Lady Cynder won't be back in Glenhaven for a while. Until she arrives, it's for the best if you hide out here. I'll be able to visit you during the afternoons."

"That's fine." Tyrrany replied. "Say, is Arthur here in Glenhaven too?"

"Uh-huh. Can I tell him about you?"

The dragoness thought about it for a moment.

"I don't see why not. He's still my friend, too."

"Great!" Flame cheered. "So, what do we do in the meantime?"

"Well, I have an idea…." Tyrrany answered.

She shut her eyes, leaned forwards, and kissed Flame on his lips. The Red dragon shut his eyes as well, and slipped his tongue into her mouth.

For a while, the two held this position. Both of these young dragons had spent so much time longing to be with each other. Now that they were together again, they were finally happy.

When the moment finally came to an end, Flame leaned back and looked down at Denzel.

"He certainly is a cute little guy." He remarked, smiling.

"Yeah." Tyrrany added. "He looks alot like you."

"But he's got your eyes and your hair."

"And **your** snout, and both of our sets of horns." Flame chuckled.

"Your right."

Tyrrany reached down and placed a forepaw on Denzel's back, lightly shaking him.

"Denzel, dear, it's time to wake up." She said sweetly.

The hatchling mumbled slightly.

"Wakey wakey, little one."

The hatchling woke up slightly.

"..I'm still sleepy, Mommy." He said, eyes still shut.

"But your Daddy's here to meet you."

As soon as Tyrrany said that, Denzel bolted onto his feet and looked at her.

"My Daddy?" He asked. "Where?"

"I'm over here." Flame answered.

Denzel turned around and looked at Flame. The Red dragon smiled down at him.

"Hello, Denzel." He said.

"You're my Daddy?" He asked.

"Uh-huh."

Denzel walked up to Flame and hugged one of his forelegs tightly.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you, Daddy!" The hatchling exclaimed, smiling.

Flame hugged his son back.

"Likewise, Den."

"Den?" Tyrrany asked skeptically.

"What?" The Red dragon asked. "That can be his nickname."

"If you say so, Flame."

Tyrrany looked on as Denzel started to wrestle with his father. She smiled.

For the first time in a long while, she was truly happy.

Not only was she finally reunited with Flame, but he accepted their son with open arms. And soon, once Tyrrany had gotten on good terms with Urobos, Spyro and Cynder, she would be able to openly tell the world that she and Flame had started a family. She didn't care if Bergan found out about Denzel: She would protect her son till the end of the world.

But, would "the end of the world" remain an expression, or become a reality?


	19. Act 2, Chapter 7

Act 2, Chapter 7

Malefor stood on the platform on the Pit of the Fallen. Amouris stood at his right, grinning.

After much… sidetracking, Malefor was finally getting around to reviving the dragon he planned to make his newest minion. He had the perfect dragon in mind, but he didn't want to give their identity away just yet.

The Two Purple dragons stood watch as several Corrupted dragons flew down before them. The Corrupted dragons were carrying several large crates of Purple Gems.

"Be careful with those." Amouris commanded. "We need every Gem we can find for this ritual."

"Actually," Malefor replied. "I believe that I have more than enough."

"If you say so, Malefor."

Once all of the Gems were arranged in a pile before Malefor, the Purple male approached the great green light that erupted from the Pit of the Fallen.

"So, just who _i_s this dragon you wish to make your minion?" Amouris asked him.

"He is someone from my past." Malefor answered. "He served his purpose fairly well when he was alive. He will no doubt serve under me and the rest of us with no complaints."

"Is that a fact?" A female voice asked.

A moment later, two dragons appeared in a cloud of Purple smoke at the Platform's entrance. It was Adpetis and Cyrus.

"What are **you** doing here?" Amouris demanded.

"Well, Cyrus has finished the assignment given to him." The White dragoness replied. "I found myself with free time, so I decided to come witness Malefor revive his new minion."

"Is that a fact?" Malefor asked, glancing back at her. "Why, pray tell, did you bring Cyrus along?"

"Is there a problem with having the Prince along?" Adpetis replied. "He's just a minion, just like your next one will be."

"Fair enough."

Malefor turned around and faced the Pit of the Fallen. He looked down into the crevice.

"How do I begin the revival ritual?" He asked Amouris.

"Well, if the dragon you wish to revive is related to you by blood," The Purple dragoness responded, "then you start by slicing a cut in part of your flesh, and combining your blood with a small amount of dark energy."

Malefor did as Amouris said, slicing a small cut on his arm, combining the spilled blood with Dark energy, and creating a small glowing red orb. The Purple dragon then dropped the orb into the Crevice.

"What now?" He asked.

"The orb of darkness you created is going to draw the spirit of the dragon you wish to revive to us."

"And then what?"

"When the dragon's spirit appears, that's when you begin using your magic to transform the Gems into pure energy, which is used to give the dragon a new body."

"Ah.."

Malefor stood before the Pile of Gems, waiting for the spirit of the dragon he was choosing to resurrect to appear before him. For a moment, it didn't appear. But then, a spirit, as black as midnight rose out of the Pit and hovered in the air before Malefor. The Great Purple dragon grinned.

"Greetings, boy."

Malefor proceeded to use his Convexity Energy to transform the Purple Gems into Pure energy.

As the Great Purple dragon set to work, Adpetis frowned in concern.

"Something's not right." She said. "Doesn't the ritual call for a combination of Red and Green Gems?"

"Ordinarily, yes." Amouris answered. "However, I have found that Fury Gems aren't just a perfect substitute: They're a superior choice of Gems."

"Why is that?"

"Fury Gems are far more potent than regular Gems. And since they can heighten a dragon's power, by using them as the base for a revived dragon's new body, that dragon's magic will be greatly augmented beyond the norm."

"Interesting." The White dragoness stated. "Any why is he using Convexity instead of individual elements?"

"Convexity is a combination of all twelve of the elements. Thus, it can be used as a substitute with no repercussions."

"Silence!" Malefor shouted. "Your banter is distracting me!"

"My apologies, Malefor." Amouris replied, bowing her head. Adpetis rolled her eyes.

Soon, Malefor was finished with the last parts of the revival ritual. As the spirit combined with the energy of the Gems, a great flash of Purple light filled the area.

When the light cleared, Malefor, Amouris and Adpetis looked down at the results.

Across the Platform, by the edge of the Pit, there lay a Black dragon.

The dragon had a similar appearance to Malefor, only much younger, somewhere in his early twenties. He had a Blood Red underbelly, and red wing membranes. He had the same set of horns that Malefor had, except they were silver. Silver spikes ran down his back, and his tail ended in a silver spear tip. And his eyes were completely yellow, with demonic irises, just like Malefor's.

Malefor stepped forwards, and called out to the black dragon.

"Arise, Zevron."

The Black dragon suddenly awoke, and stood up to face the Great Purple dragon. He seemed amazed to be standing there, but hid his astonishment behind a stoic expression almost immediately.

"Greetings… Father."

…

Rune sat in the darkness, feeling alone.

A short while ago, Runefor had forced himself onto Nellie once again, and allowed the Blue dragoness to see Rune again. However, as is usual, the White dragon prevented Rune and Nellie from embracing.

As the two young dragons stood on either side of the invisible barrier, they looked into each other's eyes. Even though Rune told Nellie to give up on him, she still persisted, wanting nothing more than to be with him. After a long while, Rune finally gave in, and admitted that he still wanted to be with Nellie.

Not that it mattered anymore: Runefor was dead set on preventing the two from even holding each other. No matter how much either Rune of Nellie tried, they couldn't break past the barrier between.

_**Give it a rest, you morons**_, Runefor taunted. _**You're not going to reach each other. Not NOW, and not EVER.**_

"Why are you doing this?" Nellie demanded. "Why won't you let us get close to each other?"

_**Oh, no reason, really. It's just fun torturing you two.**_

"No reason?" The Blue dragoness stammered. "Why you…you…"

_**Oh, Shut up! You should be thankful I let you see Rune at all, Nellie!**_

"But-!"

_**Alright, THAT'S ENOUGH!**_

Suddenly, Nellie was pulled backwards by an unseen force, away from Rune.

"Nellie!" The Black dragon shouted, trying to break through the barrier.

"Rune!" The dragoness shouted, trying to fight back.

_**Oh, Give it a rest! **_Runefor yelled. _**Both of you!**_

Soon, Nellie was out of the abyss, leaving Rune by himself.

The Black dragon stepped back, tears running down his face.

"Nellie…"

Rune sat down on his haunches and proceeded to cry.

_**Are you actually CRYING?**_ Runefor asked. _**Are you seriously THAT much of a Pussy?**_

"Leave me alone.." Rune demanded.

_**Aww, do you wish to get up close to you sweet little Nellie, Rune? Do you want to push her down onto her back and fuck her?**_

"Shut up!" The Black dragon yelled. His White-hided other laughed.

_**It must really suck to have such a raging sex drive and be unable to stick yourself into your girlfriend. Luckily, I'M able to fuck Nellie whenever I want.**_

"Stop saying those things about Nellie!'

_**Since we're the same person, in a way, you ARE having sex with Nellie, so there's nothing to be sad about.**_

Rune got on all fours, snarling.

"SHUT UP!" He bellowed. "Stop going on about those things! You've already taken over my body! You're able to molest Nellie whenever you want! And you've destroyed massive parts of the world! Why do you keep rubbing it in my face? What could you possibly gain from it? And WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE WITH NELLIE?"

For a moment, Runefor was silent. But then, he laughed.

_**Well, well well! **_He chided. _**It seems you've manned up some! When did THAT happen? After all, normally you just sit on the floor and feel sorry for yourself, what with being a coward an all.**_

"Shut up."

_**You've always been that way, ever since we were a little cub. In fact, you were that way even before we hatched.**_

Rune looked upwards, glaring.

"You didn't exist back then!"

_**Really? You're trying to deny my existence AGAIN? Idiot.**_

Rune stayed silent for a while.

_**In any case, you wouldn't remember the day we hatched anyway. But I do.**_

"You do?" Rune asked. "How?"

_**Over the years, when we were one being, whenever you forgot about something, the memories traveled into me. Most of them are pretty boring, really.**_

"Then why bring it up?"

_**I was answering your question. Don't blame ME for talking about something forgettable when you asked to hear about it.**_

"Fine…"

Rune sat back down on the ground, sighing.

_**Since we're on the subject, perhaps I can show you what happened that day.**_

"Why should I care?"

_**You aren't the least bit curious as to whether or not you were alone all these years, or if you had ME along for the ride?**_

The Black dragon sighed again.

"Go ahead: Show me."

_**As you wish, Rune!**_

As the Black dragon sat on the ground, he thought to himself. Runefor began filling his mind with memories.

Memories of the day he hatched.

…

Darkness. Absolute darkness, on all sides.

The little creature was lost in an endless void of complete and total nothingness. For the longest time, it was not aware of itself. It couldn't move, or see, or speak, or even think. It was locked in a continuous slumber…

And then, at some point in time, the creature suddenly gained consciousness. All of a sudden, the small creature's mind awoke, and it began to think. At first, the creature's thoughts were incoherent and fragmented. But then, over time, it started connecting its thoughts together, until it achieved coherence. And the very first thing it thought was:

_What am I?_

The creature slowly began to discover that it had a definite shape: A body, with seven limbs attached to it. Five of these limbs were longer, most of them having something hard on the end. The other two limbs were much flatter, and crumpled up. The creature also had a head, which was almost bigger than its body. It had two small bumps on the top its head, and a layer of something soft allover it.

The creature found that it was curled up tightly. When it tried to uncurl itself, it found that it was surrounded by a thick wall, which completely encased it. The creature, curious as to what this was, used its limbs with the hard somethings to push against the wall.

_What is this?_ it wondered.

As the creature investigated this strange wall, it came to discover that its head had two large round things on its head. The creature opened these round things, and saw nothing but the darkness. However, it could still feel its body as it moved about.

The creature discovered something else: Sound.

Somewhere, on the other side of the wall, it could hear many giant somethings talking to each other. However, the creature couldn't understand what they were saying.

_What are those?_ it wondered.

The creature placed its hard somethings against the wall around it again. It began to feel something inside it: emotion.

The creature was not satisfied being trapped inside this wall anymore.

_I want out._

The creature began banging against the wall, trying to break through, with no success. It tried harder, getting angry.

_I want out! Let me out!_

The creature tried and tried, but couldn't make the wall move. As it started to get frustrated, something unexpected happened: Something spoke to the creature's mind.

_It's not time yet, little one._

The little creature looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.

_Who are you?_ it asked.

_I am someone you'll meet when the time is right_, the voice answered. _But that time is not for a while: Be patient, little one._

_But I want out!_ The creature complained. _This place is too small._

_You will leave your egg when the time comes._

_Egg? What is an egg?_

The creature waited for a response, but none came.

_Come back!_ it yelled in its mind._ Why won't you let me out?_

Still no response.

The creature banged on the walls of its "egg", trying as hard as it could to break free.

_I WANT OOOUUUT!_

Eventually, the creature got tired, and stopped banging on the walls. It then curled back up, frustrated.

_Fine, I'll wait_, it thought, defeated.

The creature waited for a long time. As it did so, its desire to break free grew stronger and stronger. There seemed to be a whole world outside its small container, and it wanted more than anything to see it.

_What's out there? What will I find? Oh, if only I could get out._

As time marched on, the creature noticed something frightening: The walls around it were shrinking. Little by little, it was getting smaller. Soon, instead of moving about freely, the creature was forced to keep its limbs closer and closer together.

_What's happening?_ it wondered, worried. _WHY is it happening?_

Once the walls had gotten too small for it to stand, the creature started pushing against them again.

_Let me OUT!_

The creature pushed as hard as it could in the little space that was left.

Suddenly, it heard a loud sound, as if something was breaking apart.

_Huh?_

The creature pushed some more, and more sounds were created.

_What's that sound?_

As it continued to push, the part of the wall it was pushing started to break away. Soon, the creature's round things were met with a great blast of a something it hadn't encountered before: Light.

The creature shielded itself from the light, keeping it out of its round things.

_What is this? Make it go away!_

Soon, the creature found that it wasn't bothered by the light anymore, and it looked up.

A small hole was made in the walls of the egg. There was something beyond the whole, but the creature didn't know what it was. And it didn't care, either.

_A way out!_ it thought, smiling excitedly. _I can get out now!_

The creature proceeded to tear away at the wall of the egg, eager to escape its tiny prison. But, as it was making the hole bigger, it saw something that made it nearly jump.

The creature was in the middle if an enormous, stone chamger. A giant, Grey, _something_ was lying next to the egg, looking down at the tiny creature. There was another giant something standing on the other side of the egg, this one being Black.

The tiny creature looked up at the big Grey something, not sure what to make of it.

_What is that?_

As the creature looked at the Giant, a several soft noises came out of it. It sounded happy.

"It's alright, little one." The Giant said, pulling the sides of its lower face back. "Come on out."

Still a little uneasy, the little creature climbed up out of the hole it made in the egg and toppled onto the floor. Immediately, the massive increase in light, as well as the hardness and coldness of the ground, made the creature unhappy. Water started to form in its round things, and it started letting out a low, unhappy sound.

"Oh dear." The Grey Giant said. It reached down and picked the creature up, and held it close.

"It's alright, little one." It said soothingly. "You're not hurt. There's no need to cry."

The Black Giant started making happy noises. These noises seemed to make the Grey Giant upset.

"Bane!" It yelled. "Why are you laughing at him?"

"I'm only laughing because of how adorable he is." The other Giant replied. "I couldn't help it, what with the way he just fell over like that."

"I suppose you're right."

As the two Giants were making talking to each other, the little creature stopped crying and looked up at the Grey one. It held the smaller creature up close to its chest, and kept it wrapped up snugly in its front limbs. The creature felt…. safe.

"Feeling better, little one?" The Grey Giant asked it. The creature tried to respond, but only an incoherent noise came out. The Giant made soft happy noises again.

"Well, I'll set you down now." it said. The Giant gently placed the little creature back on the ground, next to an egg. At first, the creature thought that it was the egg it had just escaped from, but then noticed that it was a completely different egg. And several breaking noises were starting to come out of it.

"Here comes your brother, little one." The Black Giant said.

_Brother?_

A moment later, a tiny black something broke free of its egg, and crawled out onto the floor. Unlike the creature, it didn't cry.

The Black something looked a lot like the two Giants, except much shorter, closer to the creature's size and shape. It had four small bumps on its head instead of two, and had a magenta streak going across its belly.

The Black something and the creature walked up to each other, and started looking each other over. Both of them were curious as to who this other creature was.

"It seems our sons have finally met, Elenar." The Black Giant said.

"So it does." The Grey Giant agreed.

After this, the Black something looked up at the Black Giant, and immediately squeaked in surprise. It turned to run away, only to jump at the sight of the Grey Giant. It then ran next to the little creature and tried to hide behind it. The creature looked at its "brother", curious.

_Why is it acting like that?_

The two Giants made soft happy noises. The Black Giant reached down and scooped the creature's brother gently up into its front limbs.

"There's no need to be scare, little one." it said, pulling its lower face back like the Grey Giant did. The little Black something shivered slightly.

"Here, I'll hand you over to your Momma."

The creature watched as the Black Giant passed the tiny Black something over to the Grey Giant, who wrapped it up snugly against the Giant's chest. The creature then turned back to look up curiously at the Black Giant.

"Do you want to be held again, little one?" It asked the creature.

The creature, feeling safe in the Giant's presence, waked up to it, climbing into its front limbs.

For a time, the Black Giant held the creature snugly, while the Grey one held the Black something close.

"So, what should we name our children, Elenar?" The Black Giant asked, sitting closer to the other Giant.

"Well, I think I'll name _this_ little one Cyrus." The Grey Giant said, cradling the Black something.

"Cyrus, eh? That's a wonderful name." The Black Giant said. It handed the creature over to the other Giant. "So, what about him?"

The Grey Giant sat in thought as she held both the creature and its "brother" in its front limbs.

"Hmmm, well, I've got an idea for a name, but you might not agree with it."

"What makes you think that, Elenar?"

"I want to name him… Rune."

"Rune?" The Black Giant asked, somewhat confused. "After Runileon, your grandfather?"

"Yes."

"What would cause you to decide to do that?"

The Grey Giant started talking seriously.

"I do not believe in Runileon's curse. Everyone else may believe that Runileon will one day have a successor who's a far worse White dragon than He ever was, but I don't. Being a White dragon doesn't automatically mean that a dragon is evil. And, since this little one is a Black dragon, the most contradicting breed of dragon imaginable, I hereby name this little dragon Rune. _This_ dragon is Runileon's successor. And he will grow up to keep order in the dragon race, just as every Black dragon who's come before him has done so for these past five hundred years."

The Creature didn't understand most of what the Grey Giant said. However, one word rang in its head.

_Dragon? Is that what I am?_

The little creature… no, little **dragon** looked around at the others.

_Are THEY all dragons too?_

The Giant Black dragon made happy noises again.

"You're not very good at speeches." He said.

"Gee, thank you, Bane." The other Giant dragon replied, sounding unhappy.

"Sorry, love. And hey, if you want to name our other son Rune, then I support you completely."

"Thank you, Bane."

The Giant Grey dragon looked down at the two little dragons. She pulled her lower face back again.

"Did you hear, little ones?" She asked. "From this moment on, _your _name is Rune, and _your _name is Cyrus."

The little dragon stood in thought again.

_Rune….my name is Rune._

Both this little dragon and its brother looked up at the Giant Grey one.

"I am your mother, my little ones." It said. The Giant then turned the little dragons towards the Black one. "And that is your Father."

The Giant Black dragon got close and picked the two little dragons up in its front limbs.

"You two won't understand this right away," it said, "But both of you are Black dragons, the greatest breed of all. Someday, you're going to be rulers of an entire nation. You're royalty, little ones."

The two little dragons just looked up at the Giant Black one. He made soft happy noises again.

"You'll understand when you're older."

So there it went. The little creature learned that its name was Rune, and was a dragon. His earlier life was much simpler than what it would become.

No one would have guessed that this sweet little hatchling would grow up to become the very thing his mother denied: The product of a curse. No one realized what a danger he was to the dragon race.

None could have known that Rune would one day become Runefor.


	20. Act 2, Chapter 8

Act 2, Chapter 8

It was the early hours of the morning in Glenhaven.

The Sun had yet to rise. Few Birds were chirping outdoors: They were locked away in slumber. And the city was locked in a thick, yet comforting darkness, illuminated only by faint lights scattered here and there.

The Earth dragoness Mimet was sleeping, alone, in her great bedroom. The room's floor was covered in a fine red rug. The walls and shelves were spotted with various trinkets and novelty items, collected over the years. Over on one side of the room was a decent-sized, finely crafted wooden crib. Within the crib slept a small Lightning dragon: Ruby, Mimet's nine-month-old son.

Mimet's bed, a fine golden-colored mattress, was lined up against a large window. A fine wooden nightstand stood next to the mattress. On it were two small portraits: The first one being an image of Jules and Mimet just after they became mates, and the second one being more recent: An image of Jules, Mimet, Emerald and Ruby, with Telus and Attonita standing on either side of the other four dragons.

Mimet slowly woke from slumber on her golden mattress. She brushed a few strands of her brown mane from her face and slumped onto her feet, yawning. She then proceeded to place several pieces of Silver Jewelry over her limbs.

She didn't always get up this early. This had just become her routine for the past six months. Ever since she discovered that Attonita, Krystallos, and her father Telus had been slain by Bergan, Mimet had become the ruler of Glenhaven. She had been introduced to Spyro and Cynder, getting used to the idea that the two ancient dragons were alive again, and shared rulership over Glenhaven with Cynder, while Spyro handled things in Warfang.

Once Mimet finished with her jewelry, she sighed.

"Oh, another night ends, and another day begins." She said solemnly. "How long until the days end, I wonder?"

Just recently, Mimet had learned of two grim events that took place simultaneously: The destruction of the Mountains of Kilon and the deaths of a massive number of White-hided hatchlings at the hands of their own kin.

The Earth dragoness learned the former from a woman named Angela, the former leader of the northern settlements and owner of the mining business of the Mountains of Kilon. The woman, who also happened to be an Earth dragoness, explained that the entire mountain range had been utterly destroyed by a monstrous White dragon, possibly Runefor or Runileon.

Mimet learned about the Latter event, the deaths of the White hatchlings, when Spyro contacted Cynder the previous day. The Black dragoness left for Warfang immediately to help with the burial of the children. She was currently due to return once Urobos and the people of Warfang finally leave for Glenhaven.

"For their sake, I hope they arrive soon." Mimet said solemnly. "I fear that the end is rapidly approaching."

The dragoness turned around and walked over to her sleeping child, who was snoring away. She reached into the crib with a forepaw and gently shook the hatchling's shoulder.

"Time to get up, Ruby." Mimet said softly.

After a moment, the hatchling opened its eyes and yawned.

"Momma, I'm still sleepy." Ruby complained, rubbing his eyes. "Can't I stay in bed today?"

"You're much too young to be left alone, Ruby." Mimet answered.

"But I don't wanna get up. I want to sleep."

The Earth dragoness sighed, shaking her head.

"Here…" Mimet reached down, grabbed Ruby the gruff of his neck, and gently placed him on her back. "You can rest against my back for now, okay?"

"Okay…" Ruby replied. He wrapped his wings around his mother's neck and placed his wing blades together, and then straightened himself to go back to sleep. Mimet sighed, and then proceeded to walk out the door and into the hallway.

Mimet didn't _like_ making her hatchling wake up so early. She only did so to bring him along with her wherever she went. Ever since the mass child-abduction, the Earth dragoness had become extremely protective of her children. She adamantly refused to allow her daughter Emerald to help out in the fighting against the Crepsculi creatures that started running rampant across the Arcus desert, out of fear that Emerald might get severely injured, or worse. Unfortunately, the young Earth dragoness protested this all the time, and Mimet had recently been forced to assign guards to keep an eye on her daughter at all times.

As Mimet walked through the hallway, she came to a stop right outside the door to Emerald's room. She didn't normally wake her up at this time: She usually let her sleep until about halfway into the morning, when her private tutoring sessions began.

However, Mimet stopped because she suddenly heard the sounds of various objects being dropped all in the same place on the other side of the door.

_Is Emerald already up?_ Mimet thought, confused. _What is she doing?_

Immediately, the Earth dragoness pushed Emerald's door open, revealing the image of the teenager halfway through sneaking out her window, a satchel around her neck.

Emerald looked back at her mother, surprised and alarmed.

"Mother…" She said awkwardly. "Uh….hi?"

"What are you doing?" Mimet demanded, glaring. "Get back in here!"

Mimet stormed into the room as Emerald slipped back inside. The older dragoness took the satchel from her daughter, who backed away, clearly aggravated.

"Damn…."

Mimet looked through the satchel, finding scrap armor, a bit of rope, several Red and Green Gems, and other pieces of survival gear.

"Just _where_ did you think you were going with all of this, young lady?" Mimet demanded.

"Out." Emerald responded coldly.

"'Out'? Out _where_?"

"Uh….." The teenager stammered at first, but then quickly changed her attitude. "Oh, screw it! I was planning on heading over to Blank's place to help the others in the fight against the Crepsculi."

"Oh no you're not!" Mimet scolded.

"Oh yes I **am!**" Emerald snapped. "I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing while the others fight to defend the city! And don't you try that 'you're too young' crap: Blank and Roxanne are **younger** than me!"

"It doesn't matter how _old_ you are, Emerald. Blank's mother and Roxanne's parents may allow them to fight, but I don't want you getting involved."

"Tough! Blank was right: What's the point of spending all this time training to fight if I CAN'T FIGHT?"

Before Mimet could yell back, Ruby woke up, sniffling.

"Stop talking so loud." He mumbled. "I'm sleeping."

Mimet took a moment to lul Ruby back to sleep. Emerald took the opportunity to snatch her satchel back and head for the window. However, her mother reached out and grabbed the tip of Emerald's tail, stopping her.

"Let go of my tail, Mother." She demanded.

"No." Mimet snapped, careful not to wake Ruby. "Step away from the window."

"No. I'm going to fight, whether you like it or not."

"I'm not about to allow that."

"And why not, exactly? Do you think I'm going to get hurt if I fight? You can't prevent me from getting injured all the time, Mother."

"Well, this is one of those times I can."

"Whoopty do for you! I'm **still** going."

Mimet looked into her daughter's eyes. She wasn't about to give this up. Emerald wanted to fight, with every fiber of her being.

"You're stubborn." Mimet commented.

"Only as stubborn as you, Mother." Emerald snapped. The older dragoness sighed. When she spoke again, her voice was softer.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Emerald. Times have gotten dangerous lately."

"I'm almost an adult now, mother." Her daughter responded, also calming down. "Plus, I'm not alone: Blank, Ember, Flame, and even Roxanne are there to back me up. I'll be fine."

"I suppose you're right…" Mimet said reluctantly. She let go of Emerald's tail. "I give up: You can help the others."

The teenager smiled.

"Thank you, Mother."

"But could you at least wait for the sun to rise before you head out?" The older dragoness asked. "It's quite dark out right now."

"Alright."

Emerald walked up and hugged her mother, happy that she finally got what she wanted. When the hug ended, Mimet turned and walked towards the door.

"Get some more sleep for now, Emerald." Mimet suggested. "You'll need it."

"Okay."

After that, Mimet stepped out of the room, shutting the door as Emerald set her satchel down on the floor. The older dragoness then walked down the hallway, sighing worriedly.

"I really hope, for Emerald's sake, that she's right, and she'll be fine fighting with the others."

Mimet proceeded on her way, getting ready for the events of the day.

A day that would be fraught with horror.

…

"So, this young man is your son, eh?" Bergan asked.

Malefor, Amouris, Adpetis, Cyrus, and the newly-revived Zevron returned to The Nexus, so that Bergan may get introduced to the Black dragon.

All of the dragons stood in The Nexus's chapel. Several Corrupted dragons stood on guard on either side of the room. The Golden-maned Dragon looked Zevron up and down, clearly intrigued.

"I had no idea that you procreated during your previous tenure in the dragon realms, Malefor. I would have expected that particular bit of information to be recorded into history."

"Perhaps it's because the boy was too much of a failure to be recognized by historians." Adpetis chided.

The Black dragon glanced ad the White dragoness, snarling.

"I'll have you know that I brought death to countless lives!" He roared.

"Join the club, boy." Adpetis responded, an unamused expression on her face. The Black dragon turned to face her completely.

"I was the leader of the Furies! I possess abilities you could scarcely imagine!"

"Believe me, boy: I am no stranger to impossible abilities."

"STOP CALLING ME BOY!"

"Enough, Zevron." Malefor commanded. "Stand down."

The Black dragon sighed and stepped back from Adpetis.

"Yes, father."

The White dragoness laughed.

"So, you have to do as your Daddy commands, eh?" Adpetis chuckled. "Are you _sure_ you want someone this spineless to be your minion, Malefor?"

Zevron let out a low growl, as did Malefor.

"Come now, everyone." Bergan pleaded. "Picking fights amongst ourselves will only hinder our plans. Adpetis, there's nothing wrong with obedience to one's father."

"Fine…" The White dragoness said halfheartedly. "In any case, I need to go. There are other matters to attend to.." She turned towards Cyrus, who remained silent as always. "Come along, Cyrus. We have work to do."

In a moment, the two dragons vanished in a cloud of smoke

"Well then, speaking of other matters…" Bergan began, turning back towards Zevron, "Tell me: What _is_ this mysterious ability you possess?"

"If you have any spare minions around, I will gladly demonstrate." The Black dragon answered.

"As you wish.." Bergan replied. He turned towards one of the guards, in this case a Fire dragon, and signaled for him to approach. In a moment, the Fire dragon stood directly before Zevron, awaiting orders.

"Now then, let's see what you can do, young Zevron." Bergan declared.

The Black dragon faced the Fire dragon. Zevron grinned as his demonic yellow eyes began glowing Red.

An instant later, the Fire dragon started twitching violently, and suddenly fell to the floor.

"Oh my." Amouris commented, astounded.

The Fire dragon began using its own front talons to slash and claw at its own scales, cutting a massive number of severe wounds into its own flesh. The dragon roared in agony.

Soon, the dragon fell dead, nothing more than a corpse in a pool of blood.

Bergan looked over the body of the dead dragon, intrigued and disappointed at the same time.

"Oh, bother…" He said, shaking his head. "As wonderful as that ability is, this was a waste of a perfectly good minion."

A short moment later, a massive amount of Convexity energy flowed out of the dead dragon's body and into the air around the dragons. The corpse proceeded to shrink to the size of a small cub.

Zevron looked at the dead body incredulously.

"That was a child?" He asked, surprised.

"Well, of course." Bergan answered. "All of the dragons under our control are young dragons we have taken the liberty of altering to suit our needs, with the exceptions of you and Prince Cyrus, of course."

"Interesting…"

"Yes, quite." Bergan replied, still disappointed. "Now I'll have to have this cleaned up. Where oh where is Richard when you need him?"

"I'll go find him, Bergan." Amouris responded. "I don't have much to do anyway."

"As you wish, my dear."

Amouris turned and walked towards the left back doors of the Chapel. In the meantime, Malefor began speaking.

"My son and I shall take our leave as well. I need to brief him on a certain White-hided nuisance that needs to be dealt with."

"Do as you will. And good luck to you, young Zevron."

"Thank you, I suppose.." The Black dragon commented.

Malefor and Zevron turned and walked towards the front of the Chapel, while Bergan stood over the corpse.

Once the Purple and Black dragons were out of the Chapel and near the edge of the fortress, Malefor began talking to Zevron.

"Listen good, boy: I had you revived for the sole purpose of obeying my commands. You will serve me and me alone."

"Yes, father."

"Good. There are several dragons who openly oppose me, if in different ways.

"What do you mean by that, Father?"

"For starters, the wretched pair of Spyro and Cynder walks the living world once again, and are actively seeking to strike me down once again." Zevron snarled.

"Those two again…"

"However, they are nothing you should be concerned with at the moment."

"Why not, Father?" The Black dragon protested. "Those two are the ones responsible for your downfall!"

"I know that! BUT, there are other dragons who also stand in my way?"

"Who?"

"There are several of them: Urobos, the Deep Shadows, and the Guardians of the city of Glenhaven, to name several. However, the most dangerous ones of all are the White dragons known as Rune and Runileon."

"Rune and Runileon?"

"The former is the namesake of the latter. They are both powerful, aggressive brutes, although the one called Rune is much younger, and far more unpredictable."

"What do you want me to do about them, Father?"

"Your mission is to eliminate those two. Make sure they don't meddle in my affairs."

Zevron looked up at his father, determination in his eyes.

"As you wish, father."

"Good."

Malefor held a forepaw out, creating an orb of Convexity.

"Take this power." He commanded. "You'll need it to travel across great distances."

Zevron took the orb, letting its power seep into his body. The Black dragon then created a portal and vanished into it.

"You had better not fail me, boy." The Purple dragon demanded. He then turned to walk back to the Chapel.

Little did Malefor or Zevron know that they were being watched.

Up on a rooftop, not too far from where Malefor and Zevron were standing, the Dragoness Adpetis had been watching the whole spectacle.

The White dragoness chuckled.

"Well, well, well." She said. "This could get… interesting. Very interesting indeed."

Adpetis snapped her talons, and vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke.

…

The Aechos Valley. An massive landmass, similar to the Valley of Avalar, although far younger.

This Second great Valley sits on the Western side of the Southern Continent. It became the secondary main home for the Cheetahs, Leopards, and other Cat species that walk the world. Several villages dotted the landscape, which had several dirt roads leading between them.

And on one of these roads, three dragons traveled to the East. It was still far to dark for them to fly, so they took their time on the ground, waiting for the Sun to be high enough in the sky to illuminate their way completely.

The trees swayed gently in the soft breeze of the morning. Several small creeks ran through the small forested area, sparkling in the sunlight. Fields of flowers were carpeted across the grassy plains, casting a myriad of colors in the lush valley.

Hontus took a deep inhale of the morning air, a smile on his face.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Voden, his Orange companion asked.

"Very." The Red dragon stated.

Jules, their snooty friend, pushed past the two other Guardians, rolling his eyes.

"This is no time to be gawking at every little thing we see." The Lightning dragon remarked. "We must focus on the task at hand. A Fugitive is on the loose, and we _still_ have no idea where she could be!"

"We know that already." Voden replied. "We were just admiring the wonders of the day."

"Yeah." Hontus agreed. "Surely **you** of all people can stop to appreciate the finer things in life."

"Oh, hardy har har." Jules said sarcastically. "That's so typical of you two."

For the past six months, Hontus, Voden and Jules were assigned to track down Tyrrany, the White dragoness who murdered Lady Elenar. In that time, they traveled all across the dragon realms, from the Pyrus Volcanoes, to the Tarune Forest, and all other places they could get to. In all that time, they had absolutely no luck in finding the girl. Whether she was on the run, or was staying in one place, they didn't know.

Recently, the three dragons began searching in the Aechos Valley, looking through every cave and hidden area they could find. After spending the last month searching, they still found no sign of the White dragoness.

And now, they were traveling East.

"Where shall we look now?" Hontus asked his companions.

"Well, let's see…" Voden replied. The Orange dragon reached into the small satchel around his neck and produced a rolled-up map.

The map had several red markings on it, indicating the places they had already searched.

"Well, we've already tried everywhere except the Arcus Desert, the Mountains of Kilon, and the Eastern edge of the Central Islands." Voden declared, studying the map.

"In that case," Jules replied, "I say we return to Glenhaven, replenish our supplies, and continue East to the mountain range. After searching there, if we still cannot find the girl, we proceed to the islands."

"Makes the most sense to me." Hontus agreed.

"Aye." Voden rolled the map back up and stored it away. The three guardians then continued on their way.

After walking for some time, Jules broke the silence.

"It'll sure be great to see Mimet and my children again." He said, smiling. "Even if it's only an idle visit."

"It will be nice to arrive home again, won't it?" Voden replied. He turned to face Hontus. "What about you, Hontus?"

The Red dragon sighed. "…yes…"

Six months ago, Hontus and Seraph learned the devastating news that Rune had once-again become a White-hided monster. To make matters worse, _this_ time, Rune abducted Nellie, and went into hiding.

Seraph was driven nearly to insanity. The thought that one of her children was a monster, and another of her children was a captive of the first, tore at her very psyche. Hontus did his best to comfort his mate, be he was upset as well.

Rune was like a son to Hontus: He had always been so well-behaved, treated all around him with respect, and cared for the well-being of others, especially Nellie. The Red dragon couldn't imagine that Rune would become such a horrible beast. Sure, it had happened once before, but Hontus believed that was because of Malefor's essence corrupting him.

And then there was Nellie to think about. Hontus never realized how his daughter felt for Rune all this time, only ever discovering it when the two young dragons started dating. The Red dragon had no qualms about it: Rune was the only boy trustworthy enough to be close to Nellie. Hontus imagined that Rune would one day take Nellie to live with him in Warfang, once they came of age. But that would never come to be, would it? The Rune Hontus knew was gone, now: replaced by a White demon. And Nellie was in danger now, too. If Rune isn't defeated soon, there's no telling what he might do to her, and the rest of the world.

"Hontus?" Voden asked, concerned. "Are you alright?"

The Red dragon shook his head.

"I'm fine." He said, though he was only half-true. "I was just thinking about Seraph and Blankridge."

Blankridge. That energetic young dragon was the only child Hontus seemed to have left. Blank wasn't a perfect son, but he was a good kid nonetheless. He had a tendency to get into unusual situations, usually dragging Rune or Nellie along for the ride. Sometimes he did things he shouldn't have. But, Blank always managed to put a smile on everyone's face.

"I wonder how my wife has been handling without me." The Red dragon wondered.

"Hopefully as well as Mimet." Jules replied. "She has lost her father, just as _I_ lost my mother."

"Yes, but you two still have both of your children." Voden stated. "Hontus and Seraph have lost two of theirs."

"Well I didn't mean to sound like I was one-upping him." Jules snapped.

"It's alright." Hontus said.

A moment later, the Red dragon looked at the Eastern horizon. The Sun had risen higher into the air, illuminating the world beneath it.

"The Sun is high enough." He stated, unfolding his wings. "We can take to flight now."

"Aye." The other two agreed.

And with that, the three Guardians flew into the air, heading out of the Aechos Valley and into the Arcus Desert.

They would never set foot in the Valley again.


	21. Act 2, Chapter 9

Act 2, Chapter 9

It was the middle of the morning, though one wouldn't be able to tell.

Runefor slowly woke from slumber. He was lying on his back. He was deep inside Nellie, who was lying on Runefor's belly. The Great White dragon wrapped his tail around the Water dragoness, keeping her locked in place. She was resting her head on her forelegs, silently snoring.

Runefor looked down at the Water dragoness, a satisfied grin on his face.

_**She is certainly quite the sexy little dragoness**_, Runefor thought to himself. _**And look at that: She fell asleep on my cock again. Adorable! Wouldn't you agree, Rune?**_

_Stop talking to me._

_**And why would you want me to do THAT?**_

_Nothing I say will make you stop what you're doing to her._

_**Well, it's nice to see you've finally gotten a fucking clue!**_

Runefor let out a yawn.

"Well, as delightful as it is being jammed up deep enough to split her in half, I'm sad to say that it's time for her to wake up."

Runefor reached down with both forepaws, grabbed Nellie's shoulders, and lifted her up into the air, slowly sliding out of her in the process. He brought the dragoness close to his mouth, and proceeded to lick her entire face.

She slowly woke up, grimacing.

"Ugh…" She said. "What is…?" When she looked at Runefor's face, she sighed.

"Oh.."

"Good morning, Sweetcheeks!" Runefor said happily. "Did you have fun last night?"

Nellie didn't answer. She just looked away, a melancholy expression on her face. Runefor frowned.

"Aww, feeling a little blue?" Runefor chided.

"That's not funny." She said coldly.

"Hmm, let's see if I can wipe that unhappy look off your face."

Runefor proceeded to lick Nellie's face again. She let him do it, but complained the whole way.

"Why do you keep doing that?" She yelled.

"Because you taste good." Runefor chided.

Suddenly, The Great White dragon spun Nellie around in the air, so that she was facing the other direction. Runefor placed the dragoness on his chest, and pulled her closer by her tail., so that her private underside was a few inches away from his face and her tail was in the air.

"I remember the time I swallowed you whole. Do _you_, Nellie?" The dragoness shivered, afraid of what Runefor might do.

"You were so warm, and you slid down so quick and easy. And I could feel you squirming around in by belly."

"Wh…what are you…?" Nellie stammered, frightened. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm just curious about something. Let's experiment…"

Runefor grabbed hold of Nellie's tail, and bent it around a little, so that the tip of her tail was pointed towards Runefor's mouth. He then proceeded to pull it into his mouth, and down his throat. The dragoness shivered in disgust at the slimy feeling that ran up her tail.

"Stop it!" Nellie protested.

The White dragon proceeded to push more and more of Nellie's tail into his throat, going as far as he possibly could, and grinning all the way. The dragoness clawed at Runefor's belly, trying to make him stop. However, that didn't stop him in the slightest.

When Runefor realized that he was starting to have trouble breathing, he pulled Nellie's tail our slightly to let air in.

_**Well crap!**_ He shouted with his mind.

Runefor proceeded to pull Nellie's tail back out of his throat.

"It looks like we're going to have to try again at a later date, Sweetcheeks." He said, feigning sadness.

Nellie proceeded to wipe her tail off with Water magic, thoroughly disgusted the whole time.

"Disgusting…." She grimaced.

"Don't worry, Sweetcheeks: We'll try again _later_." The Great White dragon chuckled.

"Why do you keep doing these things to me?" Nellie shouted. "Didn't you say you that I'm going to be your mate?"

"Yes, _if you please me_." Runefor replied seriously. "That means that, if you piss me off, you will instantly become disposable. And speaking of pissing me off…"

In an instant, Runefor grabbed Nellie by her mane, causing her to cry out. He then shoved her face down onto his belly, right over the various bleeding wounds Nellie had made.

"Tell me, Nellie, what are THOSE?"

"Claw…marks..?" the dragoness struggled to respond through the pain.

"And WHY did you claw at my belly, Nellie?" Runefor asked, anger in his voice.

"I….uh…."

Runefor suddenly spun Nellie around to face him. He then extended a talon on his free forepaw and quickly sliced a cut into the dragoness's belly. He then let go of her mane, dropping her onto the cold floor.

Nellie curled up on the ground, clutching her belly and crying in pain, while Runefor glared down at her.

"Let THAT serve as a warning." He said harshly. "Remember, Nellie: You're not the ONLY sexy dragoness around. There're plenty of other dragonesses I can choose to replace you."

"Like who?" Nellie dared to ask, using her magic to heal her wound.

"Well, for starters, there's Emerald."

"Emerald?"

"Why not? Earth dragonesses are nice and Beefy. They're great for going slow and languid in bed."

"She'd NEVER submit to you!" Nellie protested. "She never even liked Rune that way."

"Hmm, good point." Runefor replied. "Being beefy comes with the price of being thick-headed. Well then, another choice would be a Memory dragoness, like Ember or Tina. Memory dragonesses like to play Mind games, which ought to be TONS of fun late at night!"

"But, Tina's dating Cyrus." Nellie stated. "She wouldn't do what you say. And Ember? She's only twelve! She's just starting puberty!"

"Oh, like any of that matters, anyway!" Runefor snapped. "But then again, I wouldn't want either of them waiting until I fall asleep, start probing into my mind, and try to fish Rune out! So nuts to them, I suppose…"

Runefor sat in thought for a moment. And then, something occurred to him.

"Say, perhaps I could go with a certain White dragoness…."

Nellie gaped up at Runefor in shock.

"That's INCEST!"

"Oh, like that fact ever got between US!" Runefor snapped.

"But, we were never really…"

"Oh shut up." Runefor demanded, making Nellie nearly jump in fright. Runefor started thinking again.

"Then again, Tyrrany has the potential to be extremely powerful, almost as powerful as I am. That's not what I'm looking for. So she's out too…"

Runefor began to think again, pondering who to go with. Nellie became nervous.

_If he decides to go with another dragoness, what will he do with ME?_ She wondered, afraid. _He could do ANYTHING to me! And it's bound to be even more horrible than what he's already done to me. I've got to keep him pleased with me…._

After thinking about what to do for a moment, Nellie walked around to Runefor's hind section. She climbed up onto the Great White dragon. Runefor noticed this, and cocked an eyebrow.

"And just what are you doing now?" He asked.

Nellie proceeded to use her Water magic to heal Runefor's still-bleeding wounds.

"I'm sorry that I did this to you, Runefor." She said solemnly. "I promise that I won't do it again."

Once the wounds were completely healed, the dragoness proceeded to walk up Runefor's belly and stop just before his face.

"May I have a kiss?" She asked. Runefor smirked.

"You're just trying to butter me up." He chided. Nellie frowned.

"However, it's working."

Runefor leaned forwards and kissed Nellie on the lips, driving his tongue into her mouth in the process.

When the moment ended, Runefor grabbed Nellie and placed her on the floor. The then got up onto his feet.

"We've wasted enough time." He said. "We've got work to do."

Runefor waved his forepaw, summoning the black necklaces.

"Where are we going this time, Runefor?" Nellie asked.

"Well, the Pyrus Volcanoes have been torched, the Tarune Forest has been deforested, and the Mountains of Kilon have crumbled." Runefor replied. "I'd say that the next place on the chopping block should be….. The Aechos Valley." Nellie sighed.

"Let's go…" She said solemnly.

Runefor snapped his talons, and the two dragons vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Along the way, Runefor thought to himself.

_**Hmm, I wonder if I should have told Nellie that I decided on the dragoness to be her replacement…**_

_Why would you pick HER of all dragons? _Rune asked.

_**Aww, didn't you realize that SHE had a thing for you too?**_

_You can't be serious._

_**Oh, I'm VERY serious, Rune. VERY serious.**_

…

A few hours later…

Roxanne woke up from slumber. She then slipped off of her straw mattress, yawning.

"Another boring day.." She grimaced.

Roxanne's room wasn't very big. It only had enough room for her mattress, a dresser, a window on the far wall, and a few posters placed here and there. The floors and walls were hardwood, and there were a few holes in some spots. A small satchel sat by the door, which was packed with the various supplies that Roxanne might need while on patrol.

"Let's get this crap over with.." She said, half-annoyed.

The Yellow dragoness grabbed her satchel, hung it around herself, and stepped out of her room.

Roxanne's family's home wasn't very big. It was a slum building, with a living room at the front that opened up to a kitchen. Two bedrooms were connected to either side of the living room via doorways.

When Roxanne stepped out of her room, she saw her mother Velma in the kitchen, cooking a few steaks.

Velma had a Topaz hide and a pink underbelly. She had three light blue horns shaped like lightning bolts on the back of her head. She also had green eyes, and an electric blue mane. She wore a light blue satchel around herself, and was humming to herself happily.

"Morning, Mom!" Roxanne greeted.

"Oh, hello, Roxanne." Velma replied.

The teenager stepped into the kitchen and grabbed one of the steaks and started eating it.

"So, is Dad at the restaurant already?" Roxanne asked, in-between bites.

"Uh-huh." Velma answered. "Once I'm finished here, I'm heading over as well."

"Okay. I'll be heading out to join the others for our patrol soon."

"Alright."

Once Roxanne was finished eating, she hugger her mother, and headed towards the front door. As she was stepping out, she called back to Velma.

"See ya later, Mom!"

"Have a good day, Roxanne!" her mother shouted happily. "Don't get into too much trouble."

_Yeah right_, Roxanne thought to herself.

For the longest time, Roxanne's parents have been running a small restaurant, called The Skyward Wyvern, to make ends meet. It didn't make them a lot of money, but it kept them from ending up on the street. When Roxanne became old enough, she started helping her parents out by working there as a waitress. The Skyward Wyvern was also the number one hangout for her and her two best friends, Vaun and Aaron.

Of course, that all changed when most of the children of Glenhaven were abducted, and the Palace was stolen. Vaun and Aaron were abducted along with them, leaving Roxanne alone. Some time later, scores of horrible black monsters called Crepsculi started roaming parts of the world, like the Arcus Desert. When that started happening, Several of the young dragons, namely Blank, Ember, and two others name Flame and Arthur, started doing volunteer work patrolling the outer walls of the city, keeping an eye out for the monsters.

Roxanne was more than happy to help out as well, at first. But then, she would have to work alongside Blank, whom she considered an idiot. But, she couldn't help out in any other way, so she was stuck with his bungling. At the very least, she had several of the other dragons to keep her company.

Unfortunately, on this particular day, things took a turn for the worse when Emerald of all dragons showed up. Of all the dragons Roxanne hated, she despised THAT dragoness most of all, with a close tie with Nellie.

While Flame, Blank, Roxanne, Arthur and Ember were preparing to make their rounds, the Green dragoness flew up to them. Roxanne had a look of revulsion on her face.

"What are YOU doing here, rich-bitch?" She yelled. Emerald only sighed.

"My mother has finally given me permission to go on patrol with you guys." The Green dragoness replied to the others, avoiding contact with Roxanne.

"Great!" Blank shouted. "The more the merrier!"

"Are you sure you want to, Emerald?" Roxanne chided. "Aren't you worried you might get dirt on your scales?"

"I don't mind getting a bit dirty." She responded. "I never have, and I never will."

"Oh please."

"Will just shut it already?" Blank snapped.

"He's got a point." Flame added. "We'll never get these rounds over with if we just stand here listening to you two bitch at each other."

Roxanne rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She said half-heartedly.

"What's this?" Blank asked. "No snappy comebacks?"

"Oh, shut up." The Yellow dragoness snapped.

"Face it, Rox." Blank replied, pointing a talon. "You're nothing without your attending toadies: Vaun McAsskisser and Flaming Aaron."

Roxanne gave Blank a nasty look.

"You know what?" She asked, enraged. "I don't have to take this crap from a punk like you!"

"Says the girl who picks all the fights." The Orange dragon retaliated. Roxanne groaned in disgust.

"Guys, stop it!" Ember shouted.

"Yeah." Emerald agreed. "Can we please just get going already?"

Roxanne and Blank glared at each other, growling.

"Oh, alright." the Orange dragon said, sneering.

"Yeah…" the Yellow dragoness replied, in the same manner.

With that finally over, all of the teenagers took to flight, beginning their patrols. All the while, Roxanne thought to herself about what Blank said.

Roxanne hadn't seen her two friends Vaun and Aaron in over six months, ever since the abductions.

The Yellow dragoness first met the Water and Earth dragons at the Palace, when they all started attending school. Vaun was a brainy young cub, and was often picked on by the bigger boys in his classes. Roxanne, Blank and Nellie came to his rescue one day, and invited him into their little clique.

Aaron, despite being a bulky Earth dragon, was often very quiet, and quite clumsy. He tried to befriend girls his age, but they wouldn't let him near them. Roxanne and Nellie, however, thought that Aaron was actually kind of sweet, and befriended him.

So, it seemed like Roxanne had a total of four friends. However, that wouldn't last long.

Roxanne's friendship with Blank started to deteriorate when Emerald started attending the school. Roxanne didn't like the way the Earth dragoness acted all snooty around the other cubs. So, the Yellow dragoness started making fun of her to take her down a few pegs. Nellie started joining in on it, albeit reluctantly. Blank, however, didn't like the way Roxanne was treating Emerald, and tried to get it to stop. A few insults were thrown around, and Blank renounced their friendship.

Vaun and Aaron were still friends with Blank, at first. However, a few years later, Aaron discovered that he was attracted to the Orange dragon. This was how the Brown dragon realized that he was gay.

Aaron tried pursuing Blank. However, the Orange dragon didn't like him that way. He could have just let him down easily. However, Blank felt it necessary to react harshly, saying various nasty insults and making a general ass of himself.

Aaron was, understandably, upset, as were Vaun and Roxanne for Blank's outlandish behavior. So, Vaun started acting hostile towards Blank, and eventually Aaron joined in as well, now thoroughly pissed off at the Orange dragon.

So, Roxanne and Nellie were the only ones still friends, while Vaun, Aaron, Blank and Emerald were very well divided. Unfortunately, Roxanne and Nellie's friendship eventually broke down, thanks in part to a certain young dragon.

Rune.

Roxanne first met Rune some time after he was brought to Glenhaven after being found nearly dead. The young Purple dragon was adopted by Hontus and Seraph, Blank and Nellie's parents. So, it didn't take long for Roxanne to get introduced to him.

Since then, Roxanne had developed a crush on Rune. He was a kind, good-natured boy, if a little prone to anger at times. So, the Yellow dragoness started trying to become best friends with the Purple dragon, even though Nellie did the same thing. Over time, Roxanne started dropping hints that she liked Rune. She didn't know if he felt the same way about her, but he continued being her friend, so she had some hope.

One day, all of that changed.

…

It was four and a half years ago.

Roxanne was thirteen years old. Quite recently, news was spreading around Glenhaven that Rune had been abducted by Dark dragons. Blank, Nellie and Emerald left the city as well, apparently in the hopes of finding him.

After Hontus, Seraph, Voden, and Emerald's father Jules left to find them all, Roxanne became absolutely distraught. Every day Rune was gone, the Yellow dragoness was worried sick about him. He became all she would think about. No one, not even her own parents were able to get her to cheer up.

About two weeks after Rune was abducted, incredible news reached Glenhaven. Roxanne was hazy on most of the details, but it seemed out that the city of Warfang somehow ended up being controlled by the Dark dragon race. But the most shocking bit of information was that Rune wasn't really a Purple dragon: He was a Black dragon.

Roxanne could hardly believe this fact. Rune, a Black dragon? How was that even possible? There must have been a mistake.

But, whether this fact was true of not, Roxanne was excited to learn that Rune was finally returning to Glenhaven. So, the Yellow dragoness made a very big decision.

_As soon as I see Rune again_, she thought, _I'm going to tell him how I feel about him._

Soon, the day when Rune arrived back in Glenhaven finally arrived.

Halfway through the normal school day, Roxanne, Vaun and Aaron walked towards the Elders' chamber. All three of them had a free period at this time, so they could all go together.

"Why are we heading over there, Rox?" Vaun asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Roxanne replied. "Rune's back! I heard some kids say that he went to the elder's chamber with his parents. We're going to see him when he comes back out."

"If you say so, Roxanne."

"Did you guys hear the rumors?" Aaron asked.

"You mean how Rune has really been a Black dragon this whole time?" Roxanne responded. "Yeah."

"Hey, do you know what that means?" Vaun added.

"What?"

"If Rune's a Black dragon, that could mean he's a Prince."

"A Prince?" Roxanne asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. Black dragons have always been the rulers of Clan Capricorn, I think."

"I know that. But the Dark dragons vanished over ten years ago, right? And besides, the Monarchy systems broke down around the same time."

"The Dark dragons have returned, though." Aaron stated. "It'd make sense if Rune, a Black dragon, is of high status among them."

"Well, I'll believe it when I see it." Roxanne declared. "Come on, let's get going."

A short while later, the three young dragons arrived at the chamber.

"What now, Rox?" Aaron asked.

"We wait for Rune to walk out, that's what."

As they waited, Roxanne thought about what she was going to say to Rune.

_How should I go about it?_ She wondered. _Should I lead up to it, or just blurt it out upfront?_

After about five minutes of waiting, the doors to the Elders' chamber finally opened up. Out of the chamber came several dragons: Hontus, Seraph, Jules, Voden, Emerald, Blank, Nellie, and Rune. A Black-hided Rune.

Roxanne's jaw nearly hit the floor.

The rumors were true. Rune really WAS a Black dragon in disguise. He looked so different: His horns and mane were dark grey, his underbelly was silver, his eyes were golden, and he had bizarre blue symbols on his sides and upper forelegs. Royal Birthmarks. He really was a Prince.

But that's not what made Roxanne surprised. What **really** surprised her was the sight of Rune and Nellie walking close together, and wrapping their tails together.

_What's going on?_ Roxanne thought. _Why are they walking like that?_

"Well, what have we here?' Voden, the Orange-hided Guardian, asked.

"What brings you kids over here at this time?" Jules queried.

"Well, uh, we heard Rune was back in town…" Roxanne answered nervously.

"Rox wanted to come greet him." Vaun added.

Seraph turned to look at the young Black dragon.

"Is that alright with you, sweetie?" She asked him.

"Sure." He replied

"Alright, then." Hontus said. "We'll let you kids mingle for a bit."

The four adult dragons turned to leave down the hallway, leaving the young dragons behind.

Blank and Emerald glared across at Vaun and Aaron, who returned the nasty looks.

"I'm outta here." The Orange dragon declared. "There's no way I'm talking to _you_ assholes."

"The feeling's mutual!" Aaron snapped.

"Yeah!" Vaun added. The Water and Earth dragons turned to look at Roxanne. "We'll see you later, Rox."

"Okay." She said

As this happened, Emerald and Blank glanced at Rune and Nellie.

"We'll catch back up with you guys later." Emerald said.

"Later…" Nellie replied.

Blank, Emerald, Vaun and Aaron left down opposite ends of the hallway, leaving Rune, Nellie and Roxanne alone.

"Uh, it's great to see you again, Rune." The Yellow dragoness said, trying to smile. "I was worried about you."

"Thanks.." The Black dragon said awkwardly.

"So, you're a Black dragon." Roxanne stated.

"Yeah…"

"Why did you disguise yourself this whole time?'

"It's kind of hard for him to explain, Rox." Nellie answered for Rune.

"I've got time to listen." Roxanne replied.

"Okay…" Rune said.

As the three young dragons walked down the halls of the Palace, Rune told Roxanne about his story, from his early life, to what happened to the Dark dragon city called The Hive, and the Ordeal with Malefor. The story seemed to have some holes here and there, but Roxanne didn't bring them up.

"Wow.." She said, genuinely saddened. "I had no idea how hard you had it, Rune. I'm sorry you had to go through it all."

"No, it's alright." He said, smiling. "It's finally behind me now. My mother's alive again, and I'm going to be spending the part of the year living in Warfang with her and my brother."

"Cool…" Roxanne replied. "So… uh… why did you two have your tails wrapped together?"

As soon as Roxanne asked that, Nellie blushed.

"Uh, I gotta go.." The blue dragoness shouted, turning to run off. "Bye, guys!"

"Uh… bye…" Roxanne replied, confused. "What's gotten into her?"

Once Nellie vanished form view, Rune blushed too.

"Roxanne, can I tell you a secret?" He asked.

"Sure, Rune." The Yellow dragoness answered, concerned. "What?"

"Well," He began, "Since I'm going to be living with my biological family again, I'm not technically part of Hontus and Seraph's family anymore."

"Okay…" Roxanne responded. "**That** is your big secret?"

"No, that wasn't it." Rune replied. "The thing is…well…"

The Black dragon leaned close and whispered into Roxanne's ear hole.

"…Me and Nellie are boyfriend and girlfriend now.."

This statement nearly drove Roxanne crazy.

"WHAT?" She exclaimed. "You and Nellie?"

"Uh-huh." Rune stated. "It turns out that she had a crush on me this whole time."

"But…" Roxanne stammered. "That's not…I mean, you can't… I wanted to…"

Rune looked at his friend, confused.

"Are you okay, Rox?" He asked, concerned.

"Uh, yeah, yeah.." the dragoness replied nervously. "It's just that I….I…"

"What?"

"…You know what, never mind." Roxanne said solemnly. "It wouldn't matter now anyway."

"If you say so, Roxanne."

The Yellow dragoness turned to walk away.

"I've got to go, Rune." She stated, partially sad. "See ya.."

"Okay…" the Black dragon said, confused. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't sound like it."

"Bye." Roxanne replied, ignoring the question. She then ran off. The young Black dragon just stood there, confused.

As the Yellow dragoness ran through the halls, she began crying. Eventually, she ran into the girls' bathroom, which thankfully was empty, except for her.

_It's not fair!_ she shouted in her mind. _I had a crush on him first! Why didn't I tell him earlier, when I had the chance? Now it's too late! Nellie got to him before I could…_

When Roxanne thought about the Water dragoness, she became enraged.

_How DARE she do this! She KNEW I had a crush on Rune! She had no right swooping in and snatching him away from me! And besides, they're BROTHER AND SISTER! The very idea that they'd go out with each other is DISGUSTING! Rune should be with ME, not HER!_

Roxanne was now snarling out loud.

"Mark my words, Nellie." She declared, glaring. "You'll pay for stealing Rune away from me. Some day, very soon, Rune will be MINE!"

And thus, Roxanne and Nellie's friendship slowly began to end.


	22. Act 2, Chapter 10

Act 2, Chapter 10

It was almost noon in the Aechos Valley.

All across the valley, the many Moles, Cats and dragons of the scattered villages went about their daily routines. The many birds sang a barrage of lovely tunes. The many forest-dwelling animals darted across their land, allowing instinct to guide them on their way. The wind blew a gentle breeze across the Valley, dragging leaves along with it. Scores of rivers flowed along their path, most of them opening up to the Western edge of the Ocean. Everything was peaceful. All was calm..

If only someone had been able to warn the citizens of the Valley before it was too late. If only they knew that their lives were in great danger. If only they had the time to pack their belongings and flee to the East.

But alas, fate had different plans….

On one of the many forest paths of the Valley, a trio of Moles was walking along, humming to themselves. One of the Moles was pushing an empty red cart, while the other two were working together to carry a step ladder.

The forest around the moles was humming with the subtle yet noticeable noises of the many animals that lived within it. Squirrels chittered and chattered in the treetops. Tiny bugs buzzed allover the place. Birds cawed at random, communicating with others of their kind.

The moles came to a stop in front of a short Apple tree. Most of the trees in the forest were too tall for the small creatures to harvest fruit from, except for the Apple trees. And even then, Extra equipment was required to reach the titular fruit.

The two moles carrying the ladder set it up before the tree. One of the moles then proceeded to climb up the ladder to reach the Apples, while the other mole held the ladder in place. The first mole proceeded to pick Apples free of the tree and hand them to the second mole, who handed them to the third mole, who placed it in the cart.

The three moles went about their business, not paying attention to their surroundings. Little did they realize that danger lurking just beyond the thicket.

Suddenly, without warning, a great White beast leapt out of the forest thicket, going right over the moles' heads, and came to a hard landing a few feet away. The beast then quickly spun around and glared down at the moles, who were shocked and terrified at the monster's sudden appearance.

The beast leaned its head down and stared directly at the moles, grinning evilly. It said a single word.

"Boo."

The three moles stayed where they were, frozen in fear. The White monster frowned in annoyance.

"Hmmm, maybe I should try this again…" it said.

The White beast inhaled a massive amount of air. It then exhaled with a mighty Roar.

The beast's bellow sounded far louder than normally possible. The three moles were forced backwards, the one on the ladder falling to the ground, its ears bleeding profusely. Soon, the other two moles followed suit.

The White beast glared down at the helpless moles, a look of unsatisfaction on his face.

"Oh, screw this!" He exclaimed. The White beast opened its mouth and fired a blast of Purple energy onto the three screaming moles. Soon, they were dissolved into nothing...

Throughout this whole event, Nellie was riding atop Runefor's back. The White dragon had her ride on top of him to keep her from dragging him behind during his little excursion.

The dragoness got down from Runefor's back as the Great White dragon inspected the smoldering remains of the moles' bodies.

"Why did you do that to them?" Nellie demanded.

"I was hoping that the sight of a 'big scary White dragon' would send them running for the hills." Runefor said, still annoyed. "Well, it turns out that moles are too stupid to run in terror when given the hint. So, I took them out of their misery."

"Misery?" Nellie exclaimed. "They weren't doing anything to bother you!"

"They ruined my fun. THAT'S how they bothered me!" The White dragon snapped. "But in any case, that attempt to get excitement was a dud, so we might as well get moving."

The White dragon spread his wings and took to flight. Nellie followed behind him, being forced to by the necklaces.

...

It was the middle of the day.

The Western edge of the Aechos Valley was absolutely serene. The sun was shining brightly, with only a few clouds in the sky. A massive docking area stretched along the Valley's Western coast. Many boats were lined along the wooden docks, with a multitude of dragons, Cats and Moles running about their business.

None could have imagined the devastation that was about to begin.

As many of the dock workers went about their routines, a faint sound began filling the air. They all looked around, trying to discern the source of the noise.

Over time, the noise grew louder. And soon, it started to sound less incomprehensible, and more like shrieking and hissing in the distance.

And then, several of the dock workers saw it.

Off to the Northwest, fast approaching the docks, was a massive swarm of Crepsculi, led by a Giant White dragon. The monsters were flying straight for the Valley, hissing and shrieking with rage…

…

A good distance from the docks, Runefor and Nellie were floating high up in the air. The larger dragon was looking down at the land below him, deep in thought.

"Hmmm." Runefor began. "I wonder how I'll destroy _this_ place." The White dragon glanced over at the dragoness.

"Any ideas, Nellie?" He chided.

"What makes you think that I'd help you destroy all the innocent people that live here?" Nellie asked angrily.

"Because it'd bet you back onto my good side." Runefor answered, grinning.

"Well forget it." The dragoness said coldly. The White dragon snarled.

"Well then, I'll just have to-"

Suddenly, a great loud noise rose up across the Valley.

"What the..?" Runefor asked, alarmed.

Both dragons looked over to the West, where the sound was coming from. Nellie gasped in shock, while Runefor smirked.

A massive black wave of monsters splashed across the Valley. Hundreds of Crepsculi were swarming the land, attacking every being they say in massive droves. The air was filled with hundreds of lives screaming in agony as they were torn limb from limb.

"By the ancestors…" Nellie said, absolutely horrified.

"It looks like Great Granddad's decided to drop in and do some of my dirty work for me." Runefor remarked. The White dragon chuckled.

"What are you laughing about?" the dragoness asked.

"I think I'll pay him a visit, and show him how much I've _grown_ since our last meeting."

Immediately, Runefor flew downwards towards the approaching storm, Nellie dragged behind him.

As the great White dragon dove at the approaching swarm of Crepsculi, countless numbers of the monsters immediately charged at him, intending to kill. Runefor summoned his purple sword and proceeded to slice through the Crepsculi.

He decapitated and dismembered scores of the beasts. Their body parts dissolved into nothingness as they were separated from their bodies.

As the White dragon slaughtered the beasts, several of them chased after Nellie, trying to claw and bite her. The dragoness fought back by attacking with her Ice breath, but she could only do so much. Soon, the monsters were overpowering Nellie, and clawing at her limbs and wings.

"Help!" She screamed, trying to push the Crepsculi away in vain. Runefor groaned.

"You're pathetic!" He shouted.

The White dragon killed the offending Crepsculi, grabbed Nellie by the waist, and proceeded to carry her around like dead weight.

"You owe me for this, Nellie!" Runefor sneered.

The dragoness shut her eyes, embarrassed.

After Runefor had killed more Crepsculi than he cared to count, he started flying towards the docks.

"I wonder where Great Granddad could be.." Runefor wondered out loud.

A moment later, another Giant White dragon suddenly flew into view and punched Runefor across the face, knocking him off balance. The younger White dragon accidentally dropped Nellie in the process, and the dragoness ended up spiraling around in the air. Luckily, Runefor was able to right himself, and by extension Nellie.

"You again!" Runileon bellowed.

"Greetings, Great Granddad!" Runefor replied, grinning. "How've you been?"

The Larger White dragon snarled at the shorter one, while Nellie hid behind Runefor's back.

"As you can plainly see, Great Granddad, I've grown since we last met!" Runefor chided. "I'll bet that I'm powerful than YOU are, now!"

"Nonsense!" Runileon bellowed.

"Are you sure about that, Great Granddad?" Runefor asked, smirking. "After all, you practically guaranteed that I'd be far more powerful than YOU ever were!"

"SILENCE!"

Runileon immediately attacked with a Convexity blast. Runefor dodged out of the was, Nellie getting dragged along with him. The smaller White dragon swung around and tried to slice Runileon's head off with his sword, but Runileon managed to teleport a short distance away.

"Ah, resorting to dirty tactics, eh?" Runefor remarked.

"I grow tired of you meddling, boy!" Runileon snapped.

"Then try to make me stop, old man!" The smaller White dragon shouted, pointing his sword at Runileon.

Immediately, the two White dragons lunged at each other, intending to kill.

…

Zevron walked out of the cloud of purple smoke and looked around. He was standing in a place called the "Aechos Valley". The Valley, as well as all the citizens within it, were being torn to pieces by tens of hundreds of disgusting black creatures.

"Those must be the Crepsculi that father spoke of." Zevron deduced.

The entire Valley was filled with the sounds of screams of agony, the shrieks of monsters, and oddly enough, the explosion of magic somewhere in the distance.

"What could that be?" The Black dragon wondered.

Zevron turned towards the source of the commotion and flew off towards it. When he finally saw what was causing the explosions, he gaped in awe.

Two White-hided dragons were locked in grueling combat. The larger one was attacking with a massive number of blasts of Convexity energy, while the shorter one attacked with a Golden-bladed longsword. A small Water dragoness was, for unknown reasons, flying close by the shorter White dragon.

"Those two must be Rune and Runileon." Zevron said to himself. "Though I wonder: Which is which?"

As the battle commenced, Zevron stood on the sidelines, hidden from view. Several chunks of the land around the Two White dragons was being destroyed by the stray blasts of Convexity from the larger one. The shorter dragon was attempting to either stab or dismember his opponent, with no success.

"Father warned me not to go after the one called Rune just yet, as he is more powerful." The Black dragon stated. "But, how can I heed his warning when I don't even know which one he is?"

The Black dragon sat in thought as the duel raged on. After a short while, he decided.

"I will slay the larger one." He announced. "He seems to be older than the other one, and he attacks in a random, spontaneous pattern. He will be the easier target."

So, with his mind made up, Zevron teleported, waiting for an open opportunity to make a killing blow…

…

"Come on, you old fart!" Runefor shouted. "Show me your true power! Stop holding back before **I DO**!"

The Larger White dragon bellowed in rage.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME!" Runileon screamed in rage.

"Oh, don't tell me you WEREN'T holding back!" Runefor chided. "That's just embarrassing!"

The two dragons continued their attempts to murder each other, neither one making much progress. As they battled, they were slowly moving backwards towards the port, and the Western edge of the Ocean beyond.

As Runileon continued to fire several blasts of Convexity energy at Runefor, the latter White dragon started employing a new tactic: He used his sword as a shield to block the blasts. However, the blasts weren't deflected away this time: They were absorbed into the sword.

"WHAT?" Runileon bellowed in surprise.

"Neat little trick, isn't it?" Runefor chided. "I really should have started using it earlier."

The shorter White dragon spun the sword around in his forepaw for a bit, just to show off. Afterwards, he swung the sword outwards towards Runileon, sending a Convexity blast flying out of it at record speed at Runileon.

The Older White dragon teleported to the side, letting the attack continue onwards into the distance. Runileon snarled.

"I've had it with your games, boy!" He sneered.

"Aw, but games are so much fun!" Runefor replied smugly. "In fact, I've got another game I'd like to play: Convexity Chicken!"

"Convexity WHAT?" Runileon asked incredulously.

Runefor and Nellie suddenly teleported about fifty yards backwards to the East. The shorter White dragon started to glow Purple.

"Let's see if you can charge up a Fury first, old fuck!"

The younger White dragon started charging his Convexity energy, having it mix with the energy in his sword. As this happened, Runileon started charging his own energy, preparing a Fury.

As the two White dragons started charging their energy, both dragons created a barrier of Convexity around themselves, which both grew larger and outwards. But while Runileon stood in place, Runefor prepared to charge forwards.

All the while, Zevron watched the spectacle from high above in the sky.

_Their power is incredible,_ he thought to himself. _It's good that they're against each other, otherwise they'd be nigh unstoppable._

Meanwhile, down below, Runefor was almost finished charging his Convexity Fury.

"Better hold onto something, Nellie." He said, grinning.

The Blue water dragoness wrapped her wings around Runefor's neck, holding on for dear life. As she did this, Runefor suddenly charged forwards, his sword pointed at Runileon's neck.

Within a short span of seconds, Runefor had darted across the Valley at record speed, too fast for the normal eye to see. However, Runileon's eyes weren't normal. Just before Runefor managed to impale Runileon, the Older White dragon unleashed his Convexity Fury.

The Purple energy exploded outwards at the speed of Light, annihilating everything in its path in all direction. Everything in the area was dissolved into nothingness: The plants, the wildlife, the trees, the dying citizens, even the Crepsculi were utterly destroyed. The Fury's span was so great, Zevron had to fly up even higher to avoid being damaged indirectly.

_So THIS is the power of a White dragon?_ Zevron thought, astonished. _Unbelievable…_

Soon, all that remained in a great radius around Runileon was a giant, smoldering crater in the earth. Since the radius covered part of the Port as well, Ocean water started flowing into the cater, filling it partially. The Great White dragon flew upwards to avoid getting wet.

Runileon looked around. Runefor and the Blue dragoness were nowhere to be found. He grinned triumphantly.

"He's finally dead!" He stated.

"Think again!"

Suddenly, Runefor appeared to Runileon's side. The younger White dragon stuck the Older one's neck with a free forepaw, causing him to gag.

Runefor then grabbed Runileon's mane with his other forepaw and proceeded to land several blows on the older White dragon's face. Runileon tried to fight back, but Runefor managed to strike him in the leg joints, causing him crippling pain.

As this happened, Zevron gasped.

_Now's my chance!_

The Black dragon immediately dive-bombed out of the sky towards the two White dragons.

Meanwhile, Runefor had managed to break Runileon's lower jaw and bruise both of his eyes. Soon, the older White dragon was bleeding profusely allover his face.

"Damn…. You…" He sneered. The younger White dragon summoned his sword into his forepaw and prepared to impale his opponent.

"You lose, Great Granddad." He said malevolently. He pulled his sword back, ready to make the kill…

Suddenly, Nellie gasped in shock from her place on Runefor's back.

"Lookout!"

"What?" Runefor shouted, surprised.

Zevron flew down directly over Runefor, catching him completely by surprise. Before the younger White dragon could do anything, the Black dragon blasted his face with a Convexity beam, sending him and Nellie flying backwards.

As Runefor cried out in pain, Runileon slipped out of his grip. Zevron then spun around in the air and blasted the older White dragon square in the chest with another Convexity blast, sending him hurtling down into the flooded Crater. Runileon roared in pain as this happened.

"This power that Father granted me is amazing." Zevron commented, turning his gaze towards Runefor.

Once Runefor and Nellie had finally regained their balance, the younger White dragon turned towards the Black dragon.

"Who the fuck are YOU supposed to be?" Runefor demanded, snarling. "Any who you think you are interfering in this?"

"My name is Zevron." Zevron stated coldly. "And it is **you** who is interfering."

"EXCUSE ME?" Runefor snarled. He summoned his sword into his forepaw again. "I don't think you realize what kind of trouble you've just gotten yourself into!"

In an instant, Runefor and Nellie disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, only to reappear just above Zevron. The White dragon tried to decapitate his Black-hided opponent, but he managed to dodge out of the way, as if he _knew_ where Runefor was going to appear.

Zevron spun around in the air and glared right at Runefor, his eyes glowing red. The White dragon tried to charge at the Black dragon in rage, but suddenly found himself stopping in midair.

"What the….?" He shouted, alarmed. "I can't move!"

"There." Zevron stated. "That should hold you while I deal with the larger one."

Runefor struggled in vain to move, but he was stuck in place, hovering over the world. Meanwhile, Zevron flew down to Runileon, who was struggling to heal his wounds.

"You life ends here!" Zevron proclaimed, his eyes glowing again.

"What?" Runileon shouted weakly. "Who in the dragon realms are YOU?"

"I am the firstborn son of Malefor." Zevron proclaimed. "And your executioner."

"MALEFOR?" Runileon exclaimed.

Before the Older White dragon could do anything else, he suddenly found himself twitching violently.

"WHAT?" He shouted in confusion. "What's happening to me?"

"You're dying." Zevron answered.

Suddenly, Runileon lifted his forepaws up to his neck and started clawing at it. He screamed in agony as he tore his own throat out. All the while, Runefor and Nellie watched from above.

"Runileon's killing himself?" The dragoness asked in disbelief.

"That son of a bitch…" Runefor said, becoming enraged.

Soon, Runileon's scales were stained with his own blood. His gags and roars of pain soon came to an end. The Great White dragon toppled over and landed face down into the watery pool.

Runileon the Wicked was dead once again.

"You bastard…." Runefor said, shaking with rage. "You cock-blocking BASTARD!"

Immediately, Runefor became so furious that he managed to break free of the strange spell that was placed on him.

"YOU STOLE MY KILL!" He roared in rage, flying towards Zevron at top speed. He tried to stab Zevron through the chest with his sword, but the Black dragon dodged out of the way again.

Instead of stabbing Zevron, Runefor ended up stabbing Runileon's body through the back. The White dragon was surprised by this, but knew it was good.

Immediately, he started absorbing the Convexity energy out of Runileon's body, through the sword, and into himself. As this happened, Runefor started growing larger in size.

Zevron was amazed.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Something you didn't expect, I take it!" The White dragon answered.

Once Runefor had absorbed every last ounce of Convexity, he was almost as tall as Runileon was. The White dragon turned to face Zevron, grinning evilly.

"Let's see you use that fancy trick to freeze in place NOW!" Runefor bellowed.

The White dragon began charging up energy, preparing a Convexity Fury. Zevron just stood before him, a stoic look on his face. Runefor became irritated by this.

"What?" He asked, annoyed. "You're not going to try and flee or attack while I'm 'vulnerable'?"

"I don't have to." Zevron replied.

"Excuse me?" Runefor exclaimed.

"I have presumably killed the one named Runileon. My task is complete, for now."

At this point, Runileon was glowing a deep Purple, and lightning cackled across his body.

"It doesn't matter, pal!" Runefor chided. "You're **FUCKED**!"

As soon as the White dragon bellowed that last word, his Convexity Fury blasted out of him at full force.

The Purple energy's blast radius was even greater in scale than Runileon's. The land _beyond_ the giant crater was wiped from existence. The mountains at the Northern end crumbled. The forests were blasted into oblivion. All of the water, from the rivers to the pools of Ocean water, were disintegrated into vapor.

Almost the entire Valley was utterly devastated.

At the center of the now even _larger_ crater, Runefor was floating above the rapidly-rising layer of water. Nellie was still lying upon his back, protected from the Fury's harm by the White dragon's magic.

Runefor was not grinning triumphantly. Instead, he was glaring.

He had hoped that he had caught Zevron off-guard with the Fury's sudden activation. Instead, the Black dragon had instantly teleported just a split-second before the Energy could rip through him.

"Where are you, you little shit?" Runefor demanded, irritated.

"Right here."

Suddenly, Zevron appeared right in front of Runefor's face. The Black dragon slashed his talons across the White dragon's face, slicing part of it open.

Runefor grabbed his face and roared in pain.

"You son of a bitch!" He yelled, using his magic to heal his wounds.

"THAT is just a small prelude to what I will do to you, once I've been given permission from my master." Zevron declared. "Until then, farewell."

And with that said, the Black dragon teleported away. He was gone.

Runefor stayed where he was in the air, breathing heavily. Nellie became frightened.

"Runefor….?" She asked.

The White dragon roared at the top of his voice, seething with absolute rage.

He then proceeded to fire a barrage of Convexity blasts in random directions. The blasts destroyed everything they came in contact with.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" He bellowed.

The White dragon snapped his talons, and he and Nellie teleported away.

…

Runefor and Nellie appeared in their cave in a cloud of smoke. As soon as they did, the black necklaces vanished. Nellie stepped away from Runefor in fear. The White dragon was still very enraged.

"HOW DARE HE!" Runefor snarled. "How DARE that Black-hided bastard swoop in and STEAL MY THUNDER!"

The Great White dragon banged his balled-up forepaw against the side of the wall, making it crack. He then roared in rage, his anger still unending.

"Can't you let it go?" Nellie asked, frightened. "I mean, you were still able to absorb what was left of Runileon's Convexity into you, and you managed to do what you wanted: destroy the Aechos Valley."

Nellie couldn't believe she was saying these things: They disgusted her. However, the last thing she wanted was for Runefor to be enraged. So, she tried to calm him down.

Alas, it was to no avail.

"SHUT UP!" The White dragon roared, causing Nellie to back away in fear. "That son of a bitch ruined my enjoyment! Runileon's death was supposed to be by my paws! MINE!"

As the blue dragoness sat down on the other side of the cave, Runefor paced back and forth, fuming and snarling.

"You'll pay for this, Zevron! Mark my words!" The White dragon roared. "I'm so pissed off, I don't even know how I'm going to calm down! I'm so FURIOUS, I could…. I could…" Runefor glanced over at Nellie. He grinned: He had just gotten and idea.

The dragoness gulped.

"What..?" She asked.

The White dragon immediately turned towards Nellie and approached her. Before she could flee, Runefor grabbed her by the torso and lifted her into the air. He then lied down on his back, his upper torso lying against the wall.

"Time to let off some steam!" He shouted.

"No!" Nellie protested.

"YES!" Runefor exclaimed.

Runefor plopped Nellie down on the area between his hind legs. He then immediately drove himself up into her as far as he could. The dragoness gasped in pain as Runefor began his business.

As the event commenced, Runefor proceeded to roar in delight. He dug his fore talons deep into Nellie's hide, tearing away at her scales. Nellie shrieked in pain.

"Stop it!" She cried out, tearing up.

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Runefor bellowed in rage.

The White dragon bent his neck down and gripped one of Nellie's wings with his teeth.

"What are you-?" She began ask.

Suddenly, Runefor started pulling hard against Nellie's wing membrane, causing her pain. After a moment, part of the membrane was ripped away. The dragoness shrieked in agony. Runefor didn't care: He only proceeded to chew and swallow the bit of the membrane he bit off.

"Still as delicious as ever." He laughed gleefully.

Nellie's crying became even faster and harder. She couldn't stand to listen to Runefor's horrible laughter.

"Shut up!" She shouted.

Nellie used her talons to stab Runefor's underbelly, causing him to shout in pain. The dragoness, now in a rage, started clawing at the White dragon's underbelly as fast as she could.

This was a mistake.

"YOU LITTLE BLUE BITCH!" Runefor bellowed.

The White dragon grabbed Nellie's neck and lifted her into the air, choking her in the process. Runefor then swung his forearm rapidly to the side, slamming Nellie hard against the wall. Next, Runefor swung his arm around, letting go of the dragoness mid-swing. Nellie went flying across the air, slamming against the far wall.

The dragoness then fell to the floor, choking, crying, and bleeding profusely.

Runefor got onto all fours and approached Nellie, his eyes filled with rage once again. He looked down at the barely-moving dragoness with disgust.

"You just lost the privilege of seeing Rune, Nellie." He sneered. "You ALSO lost the privilege of living."

Nellie weakly gasped in horror.

_NOOO!_ Rune screamed in Runefor's head. _DON'T KILL HER!_

"I'm sorry…." Nellie struggled to choke out.

"Oh, don't waste your breath, what little you have!" The White dragon snarled. "I've had it with you misbehaving! So, I'm going to go replace you!"

"What?"

"What, you didn't hear me? I'm going to find someone ELSE to be my mate! Someone who isn't an obnoxious little twat who disobeys me whenever she wants!"

"I'm sorry." Nellie repeated, sobbing. "I won't do it again!"

"Oh, you bet your ASS you won't do it again! You won't be alive to do it!"

Nellie gasped in horror.

"No…"

Runefor turned and faced away from the dragoness.

"I'll let you live until I come back." He said coldly. "When I return with your replacement, then I'll decide what to do with you. Goodbye, Nellie."

And with that said, the White dragon vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke.

Nellie laid there on the cold floor, crying a river of tears and crying out in pain. She struggled to calm down to the point when she could use her Water magic to heal herself.

_This can't be happening!_ She thought. _Why did I fight back? Why did I try to calm him down? Now he's sick of me! He's going to KILL me!_

Nellie covered her face with her forepaws.

_Oh, Rune.. All I want is to be with you. I want to save you from Runefor's control. All this time, I was hoping that I would get a chance to separate you from that White-hided Beast, body, mind and soul. But how can I do that now? When he returns, he's going to kill me, I just know it. And he's going to force you to watch, too. And I just know that you're going to blame yourself for it. You always do…_

After that, Nellie thought of all the time she had spent with Rune, from the day they first met, to the day Rune became possessed, and all the years in-between. The years that they were boyfriend and girlfriend were the happiest years of her life. She loved her family, and she loved her friends, but Rune was the one dragon she would do anything for.

The Water dragoness curled up in a ball, awaiting Runefor's return. She didn't care anymore what he did to her. If Nellie couldn't be with Rune, she had no reason to live…

…

**First off, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to upload. A lot has happened recently, and I've found myself hitting a major writer's block. Luckilly, I finally managed to get back onto my game. Here's hoping I'll be able to upload as often as I'm used to.**


	23. Interlude 2

Interlude

Nine and a half years ago…

It was the night that everyone was waiting for.

The Hive was moving peacefully across the black sky, the world below not suspecting its presence. The many Dark dragons, the citizens of the floating city for seven years, were lined up in the city's center street. They were waiting to bear witness to Prince Bane's coronation as the new King. No citizen, man, woman, or child, could resist watching another Black dragon take the throne, as had been tradition for hundreds of years.

Urobos stood just outside Hive Palace, looking down the street. Elenar stood at his left, young Rune and Cyrus standing on either side of her. Albanion, the newly-appointed leader of the Deep Shadows, stood on Urobos's right. The rest of the Deep Shadows, Grail, Nerona, Lilith, Elza, Wraith and Rose, stood on defense around the old King and his family.

The Aged Black dragon was smiling with joy.

"The time has finally come." He said happily.

"Yes…" Elenar agreed, also smiling.

"Time for what, Grandpa?" Rune asked. Urobos chuckled.

"It's time for your Papa to take over as King."

For the longest time, ever since Anna died, Urobos had been worried that he might not be able to raise Bane on his own, especially since he had to attend to the many responsibilities of being a King. There were also times when Urobos had to punish his son for his rule-breaking. He never enjoyed it, but he did what he had to do in order to teach Bane humility. All Urobos wanted to do was be a good father.

Many years have passed since Bane's hatching. Urobos had watched as his son grew from a hatchling, to a cub, to a young dragon, and finally, into a man. Bane had even had children of his own now. But on this day, Bane was going to make the most important step in his life: The rulership of an entire nation.

Bane walked up the city street towards his father. As he did this, a band started playing orchestral music, to fit the mood of the occasion. As the beautiful, soft yet heavenly music played, the many citizens bowed their heads before him, showing their willing obedience.

Eventually, the Prince came to a stop before Urobos, and the music stopped. Bane then kneeled before his father, not saying a word.

The King cleared his throat to begin speaking.

"Draw your sword, Bane." He commanded. Bane did so, staying silent all the while. He held the sword in both forepaws and presented it to Urobos, who took it by the hilt.

The King placed the sword tip on Bane's right shoulder, then lifted it up over and around his head, and brought it to a stop on the other shoulder. He spoke the whole while.

"Bane of Clan Capricorn, for the last thirty years, you have served beneath me, for the betterment of our kind. But now, the time has arrived for you to rise up and take my place on the throne. It will not be an easy life: Many trials await you in the years to come. But, if you are a wise and just ruler, you will pull through and keep your people united. Do you accept?"

Bane looked up at his father, a serious gaze upon him.

"I accept completely, your Highness." The Prince said.

"Then I am King no longer." The other dragon replied.

The Shining Blue Symbols on Urobos's shoulders suddenly and rapidly dimmed, becoming a dim glow. At the same time, the Symbols on Bane's shoulders started to shine brightly.

Urobos turned the sword around and pointed the hilt at Bane. He smiled.

"Arise, King Bane, and face your subjects."

Bane stood upright and took the sword in his right forepaw. He then turned around and faced the crowd. Every other Dark dragon, male and female, adult and child, bowed down to the Black dragon. The Deep Shadows did the same, as did Elenar, Rune, Cyrus, and even Urobos himself.

Bane pointed his sword in the air.

"I cannot recreate my father's greatness, but I shall strive to be as close as possible. I will be as good a King as my abilities allow me, and there will be no false justice under my rule.."

As Bane gave his first speech as King, Urobos smiled in satisfaction.

_You will be a great ruler, Ma'boy. _He thought with pride. _You mother, may she rest in peace, would be so proud..._

Once Bane finally finished his speech, he charged his sword with black energy. He then fired a mighty blast of Concurrence energy: A sign of his power. They many Dark Dragons in the crowd cheered.

"ALL HAIL KING BANE!"

The Dark Dragons filled the night air with the sounds of Joy and praise. Little did they know the danger they were all in.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, several buildings on the edge of The Hive burst into flames.

All of the Dark Dragons, Urobos and the others around him included, turned towards the fires in surprise and alarm.

"What in the world?" Albanion exclaimed.

And then, _they_ appeared. An army of Dragons flew into view and proceeded to attack the Dark Dragons.

Darkstalkers.

…

Immediately, the Dark Dragons leapt into battle defend their home. Unfortunately, the invading army managed to surround on all sides, and were setting the outer rows of buildings aflame. They were surrounded.

"How did they find The Hive?" Elza shouted in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter right now! DEEP SHADOWS!" Bane exclaimed. Immediately, all seven Deep Shadows ran to their new King.

"Yes, M'lord?" Grail asked.

"Gather the civilians and have them flee IMMEDIATELY!" The Black dragon ordered.

"YES SIR!" The Deep Shadows shouted. Immediately, all but Wraith turned and ran outwards into the city, intending to direct the civilians to escape through The Hive's lower tunnels. Wraith, however, was concerned.

"What will you do, you highness?" He asked. Bane charged Dark energy into his sword.

"I'm King now." He said. "I'll deal with these invaders personally!"

"NO!" Urobos yelled, stepping forwards. Elenar followed suit, Rune and Cyrus cowering by their mother's forelegs.

"What's wrong, father?" Bane asked, concerned

"Fighting a massive army of enemies by yourself is foolhardy!" Urobos shouted. "And besides, your duty is to look after your people."

"I am, by fighting back against our enemies." Bane replied.

"No, Bane." Elenar said. "Our people need you to be there for them, as do we."

"Don't go alone, Papa!" Cyrus exclaimed, teary-eyed.

Bane looked amongst them. He sighed.

"Alright." He said. "Let's flee together."

All of the Dark Dragons were about to run off for one of the city's multitude of escape hatches, when Urobos suddenly stopped. He gasped in surprise.

He had forgotten dear to him.

Immediately, the aged Black Dragon turned around and ran off towards the Palace.

"Father?" Bane asked in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about me!" Urobos shouted behind himself. "I shall follow shortly!"

Bane watched in confusion as his father ran off.

"I'll go after him." Elenar said.

"What?" Bane shouted in confusion.

"Why, Momma?" Cyrus asked. Rune was staying oddly quiet.

"Don't worry why, little one." She said. The young Queen handed her two sons over to Bane and Wraith. "Take them and flee."

"Alright." Bane said.

And with that, the King and Queen parted ways. They wouldn't see each other alive for years to come….

…

Urobos ran through the halls of Hive Palace, heading directly for the Throne room. He was the only dragon in the building, as far as he knew.

_I hope I can make it in time…_

Eventually, Urobos arrived at his destination. He burst through the front doorway and ran up to the Golden Cushion that acted as the throne. Using his talons, the Aged dragon ripped open a hidden compartment on the cushion. He then reached inside and pulled out a small item: A portrait.

It was a portrait of a young Urobos, standing alongside Valchen, Umbra, Alexander, Catherine and Anna. His family, friends, and mate. The portrait was created on the day that Urobos proposed to Anna, just days before the deaths of the Black dragon's brothers. She accepted, and they were celebrating.

All six of the young dragons were frozen in looks of happiness: Forever locked in bliss.

Urobos started to cry.

"Oh, Anna.." He said solemnly. "I miss you so much, my love. As well as the rest of you. You were there for me in my times of despair, at first. But one by one, I lost all of you. All of you were taken before your time. Why? Is it because you were near **me**? Am **I** the ultimate cause of your deaths?"

Urobos sat down on the cushion. He sighed, defeated.

"I can't stand it anymore." He stated. "I can't bear to watch more dragons who are younger than me die because of me. I'm more than lucky that I managed to convince Bane to flee instead of fight impossible odds: He would have lost his life as well. As for me? I'm going to stay here, and let the invaders end me."

The Black Dragon shut his eyes, and waited….

"Urobos!"

The Black dragon's eyes lit up in surprise.

_Elenar?_

Urobos spotted his daughter-in-law running up to him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her. "You're supposed to be fleeing through the tunnels!"

"I came to make sure you found whatever you were looking for fast." Elenar answered. She looked at the portrait in Urobos's forepaws. "Is that it? Good, let's go!"

_Oh dear, how do I explain this?…_

"I'm not leaving." Urobos stated.

"What?" Elenar asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm staying here."

"You're staying here?" The dragoness shouted. "Have you gone mad?"

"I've lived long enough. If our enemies seek to end my life, then they will find no struggle."

"You're a mad-drake!" Elenar exclaimed. "What could cause you to do THIS?"

"I can't stand to watch those younger than me die because of my actions. This is my price to pay for the curse I've placed on my loved ones."

"Curse? CURSE?" Elenar was enraged now. "What are you TALKING about? None of them died because of **you**! Your brothers Valchen and Umbra died to put an end to my Grandfather Runileon! My father Alexander and Aunt Catherine died because of the War! And your wife Anna was killed by that tribe of cougars!"

"I could have prevented all of these things." Urobos replied solemnly. "Valchen and Umbra lost their lives because of a mistake I made. The would never have started if I didn't fail to get the two Kings of Aquarius and Pisces to find peace. And I could have prevented Anna's murder if I chose to stay in Faeshrine longer."

"You're over-analyzing things!" Elenar protested. "You couldn't possibly have known that-!"

"Grandpa! Momma!" A young voice shouted. Urobos's eyes lit up in surprise.

_No, it can't be…_

Urobos and Elenar turned, and were surprised to see a young Black dragon cub running up to them. It was Rune.

_No…_Urobos thought.

"Rune?" Elenar exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

_Not Rune! Not one of my Grandchildren!_

"I came to find you." The cub answered. "Why haven't you left yet?"

_What was he thinking? He's only a young child!_

"You shouldn't have come back, Rune!" Urobos said, glaring at his grandson. "It's not safe here!"

_You foolish little boy! You're going to get yourself killed being in here!_

Suddenly, the doors of the Throne were were forced open. A gathering of about half a dozen dragons clad in Golden armor marched inside. They shined like small fragments of the sun as they marched fowards.

"There's three more in here!" One of them shouted.

Urobos was horrified.

_They'll try to kill all three of us! It's fine if they kill me, but Elenar and Rune?_

The aged dragon's gaze filled with anger.

_NO!_

Urobos grabbed his grandson by the gruff and handed him to Elenar.

"Flee, Elenar!" He exclaimed. "I'll hole them off here!"

"But Urobos-!"

"GO!"

Immediately, Elenar turned and fled through one of the Throne room's back entrances. Urobos, meanwhile, charged up his latend Dark energy and leapt into battle.

"DIE!" He exclaimed.

As his enemies unleashed blasts of Fire at Urobos, the Black dragon countered by unleashing a blast of Fire of his own. Soon, all the entire room was filled with Flames. The Darkstalkers were protected by their armor, and Urobos used his magic to shield himself from the flames.

With the flames now unable to harm him, Urobos started striking with mighty blasts of Earth breath and Lightning heat was so intense, the Black dragon found himself panting heavily very soon.

The Darkstalkers made many attempts to fight back back with multitudes of slashes and bites, they were almost no match at all for Urobos, even in his old age.

"Death is the price you pay for challenging a descendent of Spyro and Cynder!" He bellowed.

As the battle in the raging inferno commenced, the Dark Dragons soon fell dead, one by one. This was good, as Urobos was starting to run low on Magical energy.

As Urobos lifted a forepaw back to strike down his last opponent, several more Darkstalkers suddenly burst into the room.

"HALT!" One of them shouted. "You're surrounded, Dark monster!"

Urobos turned and faced his enemies. He had a solemn expression on his face.

He had fought valiantly, Elenar and Rune were no doubt long gone by now. His original plan could commence unhindered. And to top it off, he was going to die a hero.

Urobos stood perfectly still in a proud stand.

"Go ahead and end my life." He said to the Darkstalkers. "I have done my best up til now, and am ready to die in peace. But know this: Even if you defile my corpse, I will be remembered fondly by all."

"Bold words, beast." A Darkstalker said. "We hadn't planned on defiling your corpse, but that sounds like a GREAT idea!"

As the Darkstakers approached, Urobos shut his eyes and knelt down his head.

_And this is where it ends..._

Suddenly, a great noice rang out in the distance. The Black dragon looked upwards, alarmed.

_What in the world?_

The Darkstalkers looked around confused as the Palace started rumbling.

"Hey, what's going on?" One of them shouted.

Out of nowhere, a large aura or Red energy started engulfing the Palace Throne room. As it spread over the Darkstalkers, they started writhing in pain and screaming in agony.

Luckily, Urobos knew what the energy was: a Pain Fury.

Thinking quickly, Urobos called upon the last reserves of magic he had to use his Pain element. He then shut his eyes as the red aura passed over him...

...

A moment later, Urobos found himself slowly falling through a Great Black abyss. High above him was a massive white light, and far below him was a Green light. All around him were the Darkstalkers he was with just seconds ago. They were plummeting like boulders, and screaming in agony. Several other dragons were falling out of the Great White light, and they fell at the same rapid pace as the Darkstalkers, and screamed all the same.

_This must be the descent into the Underworld,_ The Black dragon thought. He watched as the Darkstalkers rapidly fell out of view, while he himself was gently floating down.

_I wonder why I don't feel any fear or pain? It must be because I was close to my time. No matter..._

Eventually, the tide of screaming, falling dragons came to an end. Urobos slowly yet surely descended into the Great Green Void. Once he was inside, he had a good look around.

the Underworld was a Giant Green Abyss in the Center of the world. Countless numbers of Ghosts and spirits wandered around in the gargantuan expanse. Some of them were content to be dead, while others screamed in agony. Chunks of land floated around in the abyss, broken apart from the mantle of the planet ages ago. And far away, in the exact center of the world, was an enormous mass of Purple Crystal.

"So, this is what the Underworld looks like." Urobos said. "I wonder what awaits me here.."

The Black dragon floated outwards towards the abyss. As he did this, several ghosts flew behind him, blocking the path to the surface world.

"Greetings." He said to them, smiling.

"_You are awefully calm for one who has just lost their life._" One of the ghosts stated.

"I was an old man." Urobos replied. "I was going to die at anytime. I accept that my time came, so you won't find any despair in me."

"_You are quite a wise one._" Another ghost said.

"Why, thank you."

"_Yes. Very wise indeed. Not at all like that Grey Dragoness._"

"Grey Dragoness?" Urobos asked. "What do you mean?"

"_That is none of your concern, mortal._" The first ghost said. "_Go. Embrace your new home. You are going to be here until the next cleansing arrives._"

"The next cleansing? Elaborate!" The Black dragon demanded. But he received no response.

Not wanting to wait for eterniny, Urobos turned and wandered into the abyss.

For a good while, the Black dragon tried making convesation with a great number of spirits. Some of them were still trying to cope with the fact that they were dead, while others refused to speak with Urobos at all, fur unknown reasons.

"I never would have imagined that the afterlife would be so.. empty." He stated. "There must be someone here that I can-"

Suddenly, a thought came into his head.

"Anna!" He shouted. "And the others, too!"

Immediately, Urobos flew all around the Underworld, trying to find his long-departed lover, friends and brothers.

"Anna! Valchen! Umbra! Where are you?"

After a long bit of searching, the Black dragon still hadn't found them. Feeling hopeless, Urobos sat down on one of the floating chunks of land. It wasn't to rest: He was dead. However, he still felt like he needed a break form searching.

"Where could they be?" He wondered out loud. "Even if this realm is a massive place, surely Anna, Valchen, Umbra, Alexander and Catherina are head somewhere..."

The Black dragon looked down at the ground below him, feeling defeated once again.

But then, a familiar voice spoke to him. A voice he hadn't heard in three decades.

"Urobos?"

The Black dragon looked up, and gasped. Across the platform was a Dark Red dragoness.

"Anna?" He asked.

"She's not the only one, brother." Another familiar voice said. Umbra.

Umbra and Valchen were standing on either side of Anna. Furthermore, Alexander and Catherine were with them, too.

Urobos got up to his feet. He was nearly tearing up.

"You're all here." He said happily.

"I'm sorry we weren't able to greet you at the entrance, Urobos." Anna said. "The Underworld is a massive place. It took us a while to find you."

"Its alright, love." Urobos replied, walking towards the Dark Red dragoness. He wrapped his forelegs around her Anna did the same.

For a while, the two dragons held each other in a loving embrace. Urobos was in tears.

"I've waited so long to be with you again.." Anna said, crying as well.

"I'm here now." Her lover responded. "We're together again."

Alexander, Catherine and Umbra smiled, while Valchen chuckled.

"Isn't this just precious?" He asked, grinning. Urobos scoffed.

"Even after all these years, you're still the same smart-alek." He chided.

"Ouch!" Valchen replied. "Come on, bro! Don't be like that!"

All the other dragons laughed. Urobos laughed right along with them. He was finally among his loved ones again. He was happy.

Alas, that was not to last long.

A moment later, the silence was broken by vaguely familiar, powerful voice.

"_Urobos._"

The six dragons turned to face the other side of the platform, and all of them gasped.

Across from them stood a Purple dragon and a Black dragoness. Immediately, Urobos recogninzed who they were: Spyro and Cynder. His ancestors.

They appeared to be close to Urobos's age in terms of height and physical proportion, but the Black male knew that they had existed for hundreds of years. They were two of the most powerful dragons to ever live: To stand in their presence in the Afterlife was worth a thousand fortunes.

This six dragons all knelt down in servitude to their Great Shadow and her mate.

"_Belay that_." The Purple dragon commanded. "_Arise, Urobos._"

The Black dragon did as they commanded.

"It's an incredible privelege to meet the both of you." Urobos said, smiling nervously. "What could you want with me, though? I'm just a feeble old man."

"_We require your aid, Urobos._" Cynder answered. "_We can't explain everything here; I fear that __**he**__ may be spying on us."_

"Who?"

"_Now is not the time to explain._" Spyro replied. "_We will need to inform you later, when you've returned to the surface."_

"The surface?" Urobos asked. "What doyou mean?"

"_In order for you to aid us, you will need to return to life."_ Cynder answered.

"WHAT?" Urobos exclaimed. "WHY? I have finally reunited with my loved ones! I am perfectly content with being dead! Why would you intervene with my afterlife?"

"_You don't understand the full gravity of the situation._" Spyro snapped. "_As we speak, your grandson is fleeing south."_

"My grandson?" The Black male asked. "Which one?"

"_It is Rune._" Cynder stated. "_He thinks that he's done a terrible crime, and has placed himself in self-exile from your people._"

Urobos was dumbstruck.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"_We cannont explain everything that's happened until you've returned to life._" Spyro stated. "_Please agree to it. Rune's life, as well as all the lives of all living dragons, are in grave danger._"

Urobos looked around at his friends, brothers, and mate. He didn't want to leave them so soon.

The Black dragon ran a forepaw through his mate's mane.

"Oh, Anna..." He said sadly.

"Go." She said.

"What?"

"Return to the living world." Anna answered. "If The Great Shadow wants you to do so, then it must be very important. And besides, I'll still be here when you return. I waited decades to see you again: I can wait a few more years."

Urobos looked around at his friends and brothers. They all nodded their agreement.

"_What say you, Urobos?_" Spyro asked. The Black dragon turned and approached them.

"I'll do as you say." He stated. "But, how can I possibly return to the living world anyway?"

Spyro stepped fowards.

"_Like this.._"He said. The Purple dragon summoned an orb of pure White light, which became a great beam of energy, which struck Urobos in the chest. The Black dragon stood shocked as he slowly became engulfed in light.

"What is this?" Urobos shouted.

"_Your resurrection."_

Soon, The Black dragon's entire field of vision became pure White. And then, the White faded away to Darkness...

...

A moment later, Urobos was slowly waking from unconsciousness on a cold floor.

"What in the world...?"

The Black dragon got onto his feet and looked around. He was in a great cicular chamber. Various books were piled here and there. The cneter part of the floor was sunk-in, with a ring of candles around it. There were six doors, most of which appeared to be aligned with one of four elements: Fire, Water, Lightning, and Earth. The entire area had a strong aura of magic about it.

"Where am I?" Urobos asked.

"You're in the White Isle." Someone answered.

A moment later, a Teal-colored dragon walked through the doorway on the far side of the room The dragon was wearing an odd assortment of garments. His horns were shaped like lightning bolts. his hide had various spines. Oddly enough, he had no mane. And a bizarre crystal hung around his neck.

"Who are you, stranger?" Urobos asked.

"I am the Chronicler." The dragon said. "Though you may call me Ignitus. I am an old ally of Spyro and Cynder."

"Is that so?" the Black dragon replied. "Why have I been brought here?"

"You had best take a seat, Urobos." Ignitus said solemnly. "There is a lot that you must learn about..."


	24. Act 3, Chapter 1

Act 3, Chapter 1

"Runileon is dead?" Amouris shouted.

After Zevron left the Aechos Valley, he spent a few hours to come up with an alternate version of what had happened. Once his alibi was formed, he returned to The Nexus.

Once again, all of the Victiumirti were gathered in the Nexus's Chapel. Zevron had just begun to tell the tale.

"I speak the truth." The Black dragon said in responce. "He has left this world."

"Care to explain how it happened?" Malefor queried, an eyebrow raised. Zevron began his story.

"While I was searching for Rune in the Aeshos Valley, I happened to pay witness as he and Runileon were locked in grueling combat. I rushed to Runileon's aid, but I was too late to get to him before Rune killed him. The White dragon then absorbed all of the energy out of the dead Victiumnirtus and used it to completely obliterate the Aechos Valley. I was barely able to escape with my life."

"So, in other words," Malefor responded coldly, "you failed."

The Black Dragon knelt his head down in shame.

"I apologize for my error, father." He stated.

"It doesn't matter whether you apologize or not." Amouris said. "Once again, we have lost one of our number, thanks to that irritating louse Rune."

Adpetis turned over towards Bergan, who was facing away from them all.

"What do you think we should do, darling?" She asked.

The Golden-maned dragon was silent as the grave. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"It seems that the initial plan of razing the land before we summon The Nothing into the world has been hijacked and stolen by that young dragon." Bergan turned around and faced the group. "During the last few days, Rune has already destroyed The Tarune Forest, The Mountains of Kilon, The Aechos Valley, and part of the Pyrus Volcanoes. Furthermore, he has slain Lucrun and Runileon all on his own, while Desysto was slain by the protectores of Warfang."

"What do you plan to do now?" Malefor asked.

"We have wasted far too much time." Bergan stated. "The time has come to summon our Master."

The other dragons looked at Bergan in surprise, escept for Zevron.

"You're jumping to the final phase immediately?" Amouris asked.

"Current events have forced me to change our gameplan." Bergan replied. "With three of our number being slain, and the land slowly being burned to ruin, it's only a matter of time before the rest of us are picked off one by one. I say, rather than wait for that to happen, we should skip ahead and set to work opening the portal out of this realm and into the Dragon realms. What do you all say?"

The other Victiumirti looked amongst themselves.

"That sounds like as good an option as any." Adpetis stated.

"I agree." Amouris added. "We've wasted too much time as it is."

"If I may interject," Malefor stated, "We need to do something about our _other_ enemies: Spyro, Cynder, and that Urobos wretch."

"What do you propose we do?" Bergan asked.

"I believe that we need to launch an attack on them." The other Purple dragon answered.

"We've already tried that." Amouris replied. "Do you not remember? We sent Desysto to kill them with his army of White dragons, and he failed."

"Of course I remember." Malefor sneered. "However, what I suppose is that several of us lead an attack, instead of just one."

"More than one?" Adpetis asked. "Why?"

"So far, only Rune and Urobos have been able to kill any of us. The Former did so through his raw power, while the latter got in a lucky shot. Here's what I propose: We know that Urobos and the other civilians of Warfang have left the city, heading south. I believe that three of us should strike the city of Glenhaven, with three separate armies in tow. Those fools would never suspect three Victiumirti striking them all at once. With the proper destructive force, our enemies will be wiped from the land in one quick swipe."

"Hmmmm..." The Golden-maned dragon thought it over. "You know what? I believe that is a wonderful idea."

"Are you sure, Bergan?" Adpetis asked.

"Of course." He answered. "While you three deal with the people of Glenhaven, and Zevron is off to hunt down Rune, I shall summon The Nothing into the Dragon Realms."

"I am glad you agree." Malefor replied. "When shall we begin preparing for the attack?"

"Immediately. We haven't a moment more to lose."

"As you wish, Bergan." Amouris said. "I shall go pick out the right minions for the attack."

"I shall as well." Adpetis. "I believe that Cyrus would make a good General in the attack."

"I shall leave with my son." Malefor declared. "I need to speak with him about his previous failure."

Zevron became distressed by this statement.

"But father, I-"

"Silence, boy." Malefor snapped. "Hold your tongue, before my mood worsens."

"Don't be too harsh on him, Malefor." Bergan stated. "We all fail in what we attempt to do at some point or another." The other Purple dragon harrumphed.

In any case, we all have work to do. This meeting is adjourned."

With that said, Malefor, Zevron, Amouris and Adpetis turned to leave the chapel. Meanwhile, Bergan stood in the center of the room, before the Altar.

...

Malefor and Zevron walked to the edge of the fortress, outside of prying eyes and ears' reach.

"Is he truly dead?" Malefor queried.

"Yes, father." Zevron responded. "I ended his life myself."

The Purple dragon smiled evilly.

"You've done well." He said.

"Thank you, father." The Black dragon replied.

"So, you had your son murder Runileon." Said a voice from nowhere. The two dragons stood on guard, ready to attack the interloper.

"WHO'S THERE?" Malefor demanded.

"Show yourself!" Zevron added.

Suddenly, a White dragoness appeared in a cloud of Purple smoke. It was Adpetis.

"I knew it." She chided. "You may have been able to fool Bergan and Amouris, but **I** am a scientist: I'm not one who is fooled so easily."

Malefor growled.

"What do you intend to do about it, wench?" The Purple dragon sneered. Adpetis chuckled slyly.

"Don't get me wrong: I despised Runileon as well. However, It wouldn't be right for me to keep this act of treachery from being discovered."

The two male dragons glared.

"What do you want?" Zevron demanded.

"Before I tell you, I've got to ask: What do you two intend to do after this?" She replied.

"And what makes you think I'll tell you?" Malefor demanded.

"Because, there's almost nothing stopping me from running off to telll Bergan and Amouris that you've betrayed our cause. And if you attack me, that extablish the same effect as if I told them."

Malefor growled at the White dragoness.

"So." He began. "What do you want in return for keeping your tongue still?"

"What I want, Malefor, is for you to do as I command." Adpetis said seriously. "And that extends to Zevron as well."

"Nonsense!" The Black dragon shouted. "I don't take orders from the likes of YOU!"

"Stand down, Zevron." Malefor commanded.

"Father, surely you won't allow this hag-beast to-!"

"ENOUGH!" The Purple dragon bellowed. Immediately, Zevron stopped talking. Malefor turned to face Adpetis.

"I will do as you tell me, for now." He said coldly. The White dragoness.

"Good to hear." She turned away from the two males. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to gather a large number of our forces for the attack on Glenhaven, as well as prepare Cyrus for battle. Ta-ta." With that said, Adpetis walked away and out of view.

Once she was gone, Zevron snarled in rage.

"Damn that wench!" He shouted. "Father, why don't we tear her throat out and be done with this problem?"

"We don't need to waste our energy with another White dragon to slay." Malefor replied coldly. "When the time comes, we will deal with this problem. But for now, we shall play along with her game. And who knows, she _may_ go from being a manipulater, to another pawn."

"What do you mean, father?" The Black dragon asked.

"You will learn in time." The Purple dragon answered. "For now, I want you to travel to Glenhaven. Keep an eye out for anything that Spyro, Cynder and their decprepid tagalong may be planning."

"As you command, father."

The Black dragon created a Portal of Purple energy and stepped through it. Once he was gone, Malefor turned and looked up at the great abyss around The Nexus.

"The Nothing.." He said, disbelieving. "That man is absolutely insane. Does he truly believe that this realm is home to some supernatural force, that has 'corrupted' several of us to do its bidding?"

The Purple dragon turned and walked back to the Chapel.

"He's a madman. How could anyone believe that-?"

Suddenly, Malefor gasped in pain. His entire being suddenly became bombarded with a strange, unseen force. He began to twitch violently.

"WHAT?" He shouted. "What is happening?"

A barrage of Purple Lightning bolts started crashing down from the abyss above and struck the ground all around Malefor in a violent, random pattern.

As this happened, somone spoke to him. No, some_thing_. And yet, it was nothing at all.

There was no voice, but the dragon could sense that something communicating with him. He couldn't see it or hear it, but he could **feel** it. There were no words in its "voice": Instead, Malefor's mind was bombarded with a flow of thoughts and feelings. Malefor felt the presence absolutely EVERYWHERE: All around his body, across the Fortress, and even far off in the farthest reaches of the abyss.

Whatever was communicating to the Purple dragon, it was unpleased with his actions and words. It showed Malefor that It was very much real, and could destroy him at any moment.

The mysterious force's power was so great, it was able to free Bane's mind from his imprisonment within Malefor's, and held both dragons' minds in a vicegrip.

"_What is this?_" Bane demanded, frightened.

It showed the two dragons how they were completely powerless to free themselves. And as a demonstration of It's power, It started to dissolve the dragons' body, reducing parts of them to nothingness.

"NO!" Malefor screamed in agony, feeling genuine fear for the first time in ages.

"_STOP THIS!_" Bane begged. "_PLEASE!"_

It stopped destroying the two dragons, restoring their body to normal. It showed them how the two dragons had better not insult It again, or they would be completely annihiliated.

"_DON'T KILL ME!_" Bane screamed in fear.

"I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY!" Malefor shouted, horrified. "YOU HAVE MY WORD!"

Instantly, Malefor felt It release It's grip around the Purple dragon, and he fell to the floor, breathing heavily. Bane was forced back into his prison in Malefor's mind.

_Not again..._, the Black dragon lamented.

"Silence!" Malefor shouted. However, the Purple dragon was still frightened.

Never before had he felt so helpless. So **weak**. Malefor hated that feeling. He didn't know what that entity was, but he wasn't about to stay in the realm of Convexity to be turned into a plaything again.

Immediately, Malefor created a portal and stepped through it. As he did so, one thought ran through his head.

_The Nothing must NOT be summoned into the Dragon Realms._

...

The Next morning, in the city of Glenhaven...

Tyrrany slowly woke from slumber. Denzel was curled up by her side, underneath her wing. The White dragoness yawned, and then got up onto her feet.

"Another new day begins.." Tyrrany said. She turned and shook Denzel's tiny shoulder to wake him.

"Time to get up, Denzel." She said sweetly. "It's morning."

The Purple hatchling yawned and slowly woke up.

"Good morning, Mommy." He said happily. The hatchling got up onto his feet. "Are we going to see Daddy today?"

"Of course, silly." Tyrrany answered, smiling. "Did something make you think otherwise?"

"Well, no." The hatchling replied. "I was just curious…"

Tyrrany chuckled and held her son in a hug.

"Well, we're definitely going to see your Daddy at around noon, just like the two of us decided to do everyday. Until then, we're going to go get something to eat over in the grasslands, and then we're going to wait. Okay?"

"Okay.." the hatchling said.

After Tyrrany and Flame had finally reunited, they decided that they wanted to spend as much time as possible together, so Flame could get better acquainted with Denzel. Since it was established that Flame got off his rounds of patrol at noon, that gave them the entire afternoon to themselves. The Red dragon had to return to the place he was living in at around ten at night, so they had plenty of time.

Tyrrany applied the Shroud of Darkness to herself and Denzel, and the two dragons approached the front door to the abandoned house. The Dragoness allowed her son to climb up onto her back, and she stepped out into the morning light.

"Can I take a nap until we arrive, Mommy?" Denzel asked. His mother chuckled.

"Of course, dear." She said.

"Thank you, Mommy."

The hatchling placed his head on his mother's neck and slowly drifted off to sleep. Tyrrany was careful not to drop him as she lifted off into the sky….

…

Roxanne woke up and got ready for her patrols. She placed her satchel around herself and stepped out into the Living room. She looked over at the kitchen, and was happy to see her father Seamus still at home.

Seamus was a Memory dragon, just a few years older than Velma. He had a Light brown hide and a green underbelly. He had four green, lightning-shaped horns on his head. He had a thick green mane and a short green beard, and yellow eyes. He wore a brown satchel, and was making his way to the doorway.

"Hi, Dad." Roxanne said happily.

"Good morning, Roxanne." He replied, smiling. "Doing okay this morning?"

"Yep. Same as ever."

"Good to hear."

The Memory dragon stopped to hug his daughter goodbye.

"I'll see you later, honey."

"Later, Dad!" Roxanne said, waving.

After Seamus left, Roxanne went into the kitchen to get something to eat. Velma was in the kitchen, going through her usual routine. The younger dragoness grabbed a slab of cooked steak from the fridge.

"Is that all you want, Rox?" Velma asked.

"Uh-huh." She answered. "I don't need much else."

"If you say so."

Roxanne turned and walked towards the front door.

"Have a good day, Roxanne!" Velma said to her as the younger dragoness left.

"Bye mom!"

Roxanne stepped out onto the streets and took off for flight…

Little did she realize that a powerful White dragon was watching her.

…

Just across the street, in an alleyway, Runefor was hidden away behind a well-placed Space spell. He watched as Roxanne took off for flight to some other part of the city.

The White dragon sighed in satisfaction.

"She's perfect." He said, grinning. "She looks like she'll provide a far better experience than Nellie ever did! Wouldn't you agree, Rune?"

…_.You monster.._

"Oh, WHAT?" Runefor shouted. "What's the problem now?"

_How can you do those things to Nellie? She was only trying to get you to calm down!_

"She pissed me off, so I punished her accordingly." The White dragon replied. "And frankly, I'm sick of her. She just doesn't do it for me like she used to."

_Stop it! Nellie is NOT a piece of property! She's a person! What you've done to her is bad enough! There's no need for you to get rid of her!_

"Ah, so you're finally cutting the crap." Runefor said, smirking. "You don't want me to kill your precious girlfriend."

_Can't you at least return her to Hontus and Seraph?_

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want, thank you very much." The White dragon snapped. "If you continue bitching, I think I'll go ahead and just eat her when we return. And I mean literally."

_NO!_ Rune screamed.

"Then SHUT UP!" The White dragon snapped. "The less you bitch and moan, the less I'll consider eating her. Got it?"

Rune didn't respond.

"Good, you're a quick learner."

With the conversation over, Runefor moved on to a different matter.

"Now then, should I go after Roxanne now, or should I go visit my darling sister?" The White dragon asked. "Decisions, decisions…"

After thinking about it for a minute, the White dragon decided.

"I know just what to do…"

Runefor began charging up his magic. He then surrounded himself with a cloud of Purple energy. And then, he began to shrink.

Runefor started changing…

…

**And so, the countdown to the final battle begins!**

**Will Bergan summon The Nothing into the Dragon Realms?**

**Will Urobos, Spyro, Cynder and the citizens of Warfang arrive in Glenhaven soon?**

**Will Nellie be saved?**

**Find out the answers by reading onwards!**


	25. Act 3, Chapter 2

Act 3, Chapter 2

It was almost noon.

After a long journey, Hontus, Voden and Jules had finally almost arrived at the city of Glenhaven.

The red dragon yawned. The wind blew against his face, its cold sting keeping him awake. The sun's light beat down upon his back.

"We've been traveling nonstop." Hontus said. "It'll feel good to sit down again once we reach the city."

"Aye." Voden agreed, suppressing a yawn. "I could use a break from all this flying."

"Well, instead of talking about how good it will be to finally be back home," Jules stated, "Let's focus on actually getting there."

"You're right." The Red dragon agreed. "Let's go. We can rest when we arrive in Glenhaven."

"Hold on a second." Voden said. The Orange dragon had turned around to face the West. "Do either of you two see those?"

"See what?" Jules asked. He and Hontus turned to look at what Voden had spotted.

"What in the world?"

Off in the distance, clouds of smoke were stretched across the Horizon, hovering over the Aechos Valley.

"When did those get there?" Hontus asked, startled.

"Could there be a wildfire?" Voden asked. "Maybe we should go back to investigate."

"Are you mad?" Jules shouted. "It'll take all night and day to return to the Valley. And besides, we're already close to Glenhaven. We should head **there** instead."

"If you say so…"

The dragons turned back towards Glenhaven continued on their way, tiredly beating their way back home. All the while, Hontus worried about the clouds of smoke.

_I hope this doesn't bode ill…_

…

Mimet sat on her cushion in her office, attending to her responsibilities as ruler of the city of Glenhaven. The office was a large room. The floors were covered in off-white hard-tiles. The walls were mostly bare, with the occasional large window letting light into the room. Mimet's desk was made of Mahogany, and was piled high with various documents of paperwork. To the desk's side was a wooden crib, with Ruby sitting inside of it, playing with some blocks.

"Look what I'm doing, Momma." Ruby said happily.

Mimet sighed and glanced over.

"What is it, Ruby?" She asked.

"I'm building a tower." The hatchling answered.

"That's nice, dear," The Earth dragoness said, "But I really need to focus on my work, okay?"

"Okay.." Ruby said sadly.

Mimet turned back to her work and sighed.

Being the ruler of Glenhaven was so stressful. There was always some matter to attend to at every moment of the day. A new building had to be built on top of the ruins of the old Palace, several repairs needed to be made to the walls of the city, and several citizens had to be dealt with before they went crazy over the "end of the world" that was supposedly approaching, just to name a few. Mimet hadn't gotten a decent wink of sleep in months.

And to make matters worse, Mimet had to worry about her daughter Emerald. Sure, she had finally allowed the young girl to go on patrols with the others, but Mimet still wanted her daughter to stay safe in her home. But, she couldn't go back on her word now: That would only make her frustrated.

Mimet placed her head down on the desk.

"Ohh, I can't take this." She said. "If only Jules were here to give me a hand.."

"There's nothing to worry about." Said a voice from nowhere.

A moment later, Cynder appeared on a cloud of black smoke. The Earth dragoness got up to face her.

"Cynder!" She shouted. "Welcome back."

"Thank you." The Black dragoness replied. "I come bearing news."

"What news would that be?" Mimet asked. "And what did you mean that there's nothing to worry about."

"Ah, yes.." Cynder replied. "Well, your husband shall be arriving in Glenhaven sometime today, along with Hontus and Voden."

"They are?" Mimet's eyes gleamed in joy.

"Yes. Furthermore, Urobos, Spyro, and the citizens of Warfang are now making their away across the Arcus Desert. They shall arrive before the day is out as well."

"Excellent." The Earth dragoness remarked. "Maybe we can have some of them set to work aiding our city."

"I doubt they would refuse. There are many people among them, and they will all need jobs."

"Right. So… What should we do until they arrive, Cynder?"

"This is your city." The Black Dragoness replied. "Do as you normally would. As for me, I shall-"

Suddenly, Cynder gasped in surprise.

"What is it, Cynder?" Mimet asked, alarmed.

"There is a great evil in the city!" The Black dragoness declared.

"A Victiumirtus?"

"NO! Someone else!"

"I'll round up a squadron of soldiers immediately!" Mimet declared.

"No! I'll see to this being myself."

"Are you sure about that, Cynder?"

"Yes."

In an instant, Cynder vanished in a cloud of smoke. Mimet sighed.

"Good luck."

…

After another long morning of patrolling the city, Flame, Arthur, Blank, Ember, Emerald and Roxanne came to a landing at the usual spot on the city walls.

Today was surprisingly productive. Several dozen Crepsculi had been spotted on three sides of the city walls, and the city guards were alerted immediately. Flame and Blank had joined in on two of the battles against the creatures.

"I'm getting worried." Flame said, sighing.

"Why is that, Emmy?" Ember asked, concerned.

"Well, ever since that attack that happened the other day, the Crepsculi have suddenly been appearing a lot more often. That **can't** be a good sign."

"Hey, it's not all bad!" Blank shouted. "We're finally able to put our abilities to good use instead of just flying around all morning! Combat really gets the blood pumping!"

"I guess you're right.." Emerald replied. "It's nice to feel useful for a change."

Roxanne scoffed.

"That's right!" The Yellow dragoness chided. "You **rarely** do anything useful."

"Oh, shut up." The green dragoness snapped.

As another classic argument started, Flame sighed.

"Well, I'm heading off again." He said, spreading his wings for flight. "You coming, Arthur?"

"Sure." The dragonfly answered.

As the Red dragon and his dragonfly companion flew away, Emerald turned to spread _her_ wings as well.

"The last thing I need right now is to get worked up over another of your stupid insults." She said. "I'm leaving."

"Oh, go ahead and run, rich girl!" Roxanne snapped. "That's all you're good at."

"By the Ancestors, you're insufferable!" Blank shouted. He turned to follow after the green dragoness, but not before he spoke to Ember. "You coming with us, Embers?"

"Sure!" The Pink dragoness replied happily. "See ya later, Roxanne!"

The Yellow dragoness harrumphed.

"Get lost, Pinky." She sneered, making the younger girl frown.

Soon, Roxanne was all alone, again. She sighed sadly.

"Man, I really wish Vaun and Aaron were still around." She said. "We could have insulted those trust fund babies together, like we always used to. And then there's Rune…." The dragoness shed a tear.

"What I'd give to see _him_ again. He's the only rich kid who never acted like a stuck-up snob."

The Yellow dragoness spread her wings and flew down to the city level, making her way towards her parents' restaurant, The Skyward Wyvern. Along the way, she fantasized about spending time with Rune, the she always wanted to: As his girlfriend.

"Why did you have to choose that Blue-hided doormat instead of me?" She asked. "I could have been far better to you than _she _ever was…"

And then, out of nowhere, she heard a familiar voice speak to her.

"Hey Roxanne…"

"Huh?" The dragoness asked. She looked around for the source of the voice. "Was that…?"

The voice sounded kind of like Rune, although somehow different, though Roxanne couldn't put her talon on what it was. In any case, the fact that it sounded anything like Rune at all was surprising.

"Over here, Rox!" The voice shouted.

"Who are you?" Roxanne asked, still looking around. "**Where** are you?"

"Over here, Rox!" The voice shouted out. "Check the nearby alleyway!"

Roxanne flew down onto the street and approached the alley that the voice originated from. Deep within it, standing with his back to her, was a teenaged, Black dragon with Dark Grey Hair and Darker Grey horns.

It was Rune.

"RUNE!" Roxanne exclaimed, excited. She immediately ran into the alley to talk to him up close.

She could hardly believe it. Rune! Right in the middle of the city! He was back! But then, Roxanne realized something…

"Wait a minute." She said, coming to a stop a few feet away from the Black dragon. "Something's not right…"

"What's wrong?" The Black dragon asked. He turned around to face Roxanne, his eyes closed. When he opened them, the dragoness jumped back in shock.

The Black dragon looked identical to Rune, except for his demonic, yellow eyes. He chuckled.

"Cat got your tongue, Rox?" The dragon asked.

"…Rune?" Roxanne replied, nervously. "Is that really you?"

The Black dragon stepped closer, smiling.

"Of course it's me!" He said happily. "What made you think otherwise?"

"Your eyes." The dragoness answered. "They look kinda weird."

"Yeah, well, it's a new look I'm going for."

"A new look? I didn't know you could do that."

"It's a trait that Black dragons have. We're able to use magic to change the appearance of our eyes. I think they look better this way. How about you?"

"Uh, I guess so…"

Rune and Roxanne walked up to each other. The dragoness was nervous.

This dragon _looked_ like Rune and _sounded_ like Rune, but there was something… wrong.

"Where have you been all this time, Rune?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh, you know: around."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've been doing some sight-seeing. But that's not important. Ya want to know what **is** important?"

"Uh… what?" The Black dragon smiled.

"You."

"Me?" Roxanne asked, surprised. "How?"

"I've got the hots for ya."

Roxanne blushed.

"You do? But what about-?"

"Nellie?" Rune grimaced. "Oh god, don't get me started on that hag-beast."

"Uh…"

"Nellie's the worst girlfriend of all time! All she ever does is nag, nag, nag! 'I want this'! 'Don't do that'!" Rune grunted and shook his head. "I can't stand it! I wish I never went out with her in the first place!"

The Black dragon calmed down and smiled at Roxanne.

"I'd much rather be in a relationship with **you.**"

Roxanne was awestruck.

"You want me to be your girlfriend?" She exclaimed. Rune frowned.

"Do you not like me the same way?" He asked.

"No!" Roxanne shouted. "Er, I mean, that's not it!"

Rune looked at Roxanne, confused. The Lightning dragoness stepped forwards, smiling.

"Rune, I like you the same way." She said. "I have for years." The Black dragon looked surprised.

"You did?" He asked. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Roxanne blushed, looking away.

"Well, I thought you liked Nellie, so I didn't tell you."

Rune stepped forwards and placed one of his paws on top of hers.

"Well, you don't have to worry about Nellie anymore." He said, smiling. "Me and her are history."

Roxanne turned back and looked into Rune's eyes. They were creepy, but they had a pleasant, inviting look about them. She smiled.

"So, what now?" She asked. Rune brought his face up to hers.

"Would you like to see my new hangout?" The Black dragon asked.

"You have a hangout?" The dragoness asked. "Where is it?"

"I'll take you to it, if you want to go."

"Sure, I'll go with you." Roxanne said. "But it'll have to wait a while."

"Why?" Rune asked, frowning.

"I have to work at The Skyward Wyvern for a few hours. My parents need all the help they can get. In fact, I'm running a little late as it is."

"I see.." Rune said, clearly upset. "Well, Roxanne, I'm afraid you're going to have to change your plans."

"What?" She asked, shocked. "No! I can't just abandon my job! My parents would KILL me!"

Rune glared at the Yellow dragoness.

"I beg to differ.." He reached out and grabbed Roxanne's neck, much to her surprise.

"Rune, what are you doing?" She shouted, struggling under Rune's grip. "Let me go!"

"You're coming with me, whether you like it or not!"

Suddenly, a Purple aura appeared around Rune's body. His hide turned from Black to Snow White. Three Dark Grey horns sprouted out of his head: one on top and two on the sides. Roxanne was horrified. She tried scratching and clawing at the dragon's body, but he didn't even flinch.

"YOU'RE NOT RUNE!" She screamed.

"Actually, yes I am!" The dragon replied, chuckling.

"LET GO OF ME!" The dragoness screamed.

"Nope. We've got places to go, you and I."

Suddenly, a voice shouted out to the two dragons.

"RELEASE HER!"

Before either dragon could react, a large Black dragoness appeared in a cloud of smoke, directly behind the Rune imposter. She struck the imposter across the back, sending him flying into the side of the Alley. Roxanne managed to break free of his grip during this time, and she turned to run away.

However, Pain suddenly coursed through every fiber of Roxanne's being. She fell to the ground, writhed in pain and screamed in agony. The Rune imposter had gotten back onto his feet almost instantly.

"Where do you think YOU'RE going?" He shouted at her. The imposter than turned to face the Black dragoness, who was standing on guard.

It was Lady Cynder.

"Cynder…" The imposter said with contempt. "I should've figured I'd be seeing YOU again!"

"Rune…" The Black dragoness replied, solemnly. "What have you become?"

"I've become something better." The imposter stated. "I've become the White dragon that Great Granddad predicted would come."

"This is not the path you were meant to walk, Rune." Cynder said coldly. "Stop this madness: let this dragoness go free, and relinquish Nellie."

"I don't take orders from washed-up old people!" The White dragon snapped. With a snap of his talons, he teleported over to Roxanne.

Cynder rushed forwards in an attempt to grapple the imposter. He snapped his talons and created a portal of Purple smoke around himself and Roxanne.

Just before they vanished from view, Cynder managed to grab hold of the White dragon, and she was dragged along with them.

All three dragons were whisked away to Runefor's hideout.


	26. Act 3, Chapter 3

Act 3, Chapter 3

Zevron stepped through the cloud of Purple smoke. He found himself standing behind a row of trees in the grasslands area of the city of Glenhaven.

The sun stood directly over the world. The cold winds blew across the Black dragon's Midnight scales.

"So, this is the city of Glenhaven…" Zevron thought out loud. "I wonder if I'll be able to find the girl…"

Zevron thought of the dragoness known as Tyrrany. His father had told him about how she was a powerful young dragon, and a fitting candidate to be one of the Purple dragon's minions. The Black dragon knew that she had a son, a Purple hatchling, and that she had traveled West to Glenhaven. So, he decided to go keep an eye on her, and inform his father if anything became of the girl.

Malefor had taken the initiative to transfer a copy of one of his own memories into Zevron's mind: A memory of what Tyrrany and Denzel looked like. This way, the Black dragon would be able to find them easily.

"I better start looking for them." Zevron decided. "They could be anywhere in this city. I better try to keep a low profile."

The Black dragon turned and snuck off into Glenhaven's many streets…

…

"So, where're we headed, Flame?" Arthur asked.

"Anny and Denzel are waiting for us in the Grasslands." The red dragon answered. "I'm planning on taking them to meet a certain someone today."

"Ahh…"

When Flame brought Arthur to see Tyrrany and Denzel for the first time since they arrived in Glenhaven, the dragonfly had mixed feelings at first.

On the one hand, Arthur had all but given up on the White dragoness. He had started to believe that, maybe, Tyrrany really **did** intentionally murder her mother. And she had been gone for about half a year: who knows what she could have done in that time.

On the other hand, Tyrrany was his friend. Even if she was a tad aggressive over the years, she was never really a "bad" girl. And besides, Arthur remembered how the dragoness had made peace with Elenar, and also apologized to Flame and Arthur for the way she treated them. She was genuinely sorry.

And then there was little Denzel. The fact that Flame and Tyrrany had a son now surprised Arthur. Sure, he knew that the only time that he could have come to be was when Tyrrany violated Flame. However, the dragonfly knew that Tyrrany was sorry for what she did, and that the Red dragon had forgiven her.

And besides, that little dragon was just too cute. Denzel had taken a liking to Arthur, and often tried to chase and catch him. He had yet to succeed, though.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to take Anny to see **him**?" Arthur asked. "I mean, I can see you taking her to see Urobos, Lord Spyro and Lady Cynder, and _maybe_ Miss Mimet, but **him**?"

"Hey, I think he should know that she's here." Flame replied. "Maybe we'll finally get some answers."

"I don't know about that, man."

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic."

The dragon and dragonfly continued on their way to the Grasslands.

…

"When is Daddy going to arrive, Mommy?" Denzel asked, frowning.

"He'll be here soon, Denzel." Tyrrany answered. "You need to be patient."

After Tyrrany and Denzel had gotten something to eat, they had waited there for the last few hours. Flame and Tyrrany had agreed upon this spot to be their daily meeting place, until Spyro and Cynder arrived in Glenhaven.

Denzel had gotten bored a while ago. He had spent some time chasing after some rabbits that lived in the grasslands, but he had gotten bored with that. So, he got an idea.

"Mommy, will you play with me?" The hatchling asked.

"I'm not in the mood, dear." His mother said. The hatchling walked around and looked up into Tyrrany's eyes, putting on the saddest face he could muster.

"Pleeeease, Mommy?"

The Purple dragoness sighed.

"Alright."

"Yaay!" The Denzel cheered.

The Hatchling ran around his mother and pounced onto her tail. Tyrrany then began to steadily swing her tail back and forth as Denzel held in tightly. The dragoness smiled as she listened to her son laugh.

The two dragons played like this for a few minutes. During that time, Tyrrany began to remember times when she played with her father Bergan, back when she was Denzel's age. Sure, that man was a liar and a monster, but back then, she didn't know it. To her, Bergan was her father, and the only one who seemed to genuinely love her. In a way, the dragoness wished she could go back to those days. At the very least, she would have a parent that loved her again…

After several minutes of playtime, Tyrrany heard someone approach. She looked up to see Flame and Arthur come down for a landing.

"Hi, Anny." The Red dragon greet, smiling. The dragoness smiled back.

"Daddy!" Denzel shouted happily. The hatchling immediately got off of Tyrrany and ran up to give Flame's foreleg a hug.

"Hiya, Den." The Red dragon chuckled, returning the hug.

Tyrrany stepped forwards and kissed Flame hello.

"How did your rounds go today, guys?" she asked, smiling.

"They went about as good as they usually go." Flame answered.

"Some Crepsculi attacked today, but they were dealt with," Arthur added.

"Yeah.." The Red dragon looked Tyrrany in the eyes. "Anny, there's someone in town that you need to see."

"Is Cynder finally back?" The dragoness asked.

"Not that I know of. But that's not who it is." Flame replied. "He's in the city jail."

Tyrrany gave her mate a confused look.

"Uh… Why would I want to see someone who's been arrested?" She queried.

"It's someone you know." Flame replied.

"Who is it?" Tyrrany demanded.

"Will you go see them after I tell you?"

"It depends on who it is…"

Flame sighed. He leaned in close to Tyrrany and whispered into her ear hole.

"..My Dad…"

The dragoness gasped in shock.

"Why do you want me to see _him_?" She whispered back.

"Well, I really think you two need to meet." Flame responded.

"Who?" Denzel asked, looking up at his parents. The two dragons exchanged glances.

"Is it okay to bring Denzel?" Flame asked. "I mean, if you want to go, that is."

"Go where?" The hatchling asked. "What are you talking about?"

The dragoness thought for a minute.

"Well….."

After a moment, she finally decided.

"Sure, I'll go talk to him." Tyrrany said. "And Denzel can see him too."

"See who?" Denzel demanded. "Why won't you tell me, Mommy?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Den." Flame said, smiling. He turned to face Tyrrany again. "Let's go."

"Alright." The dragoness said. She sat on her haunches so Denzel could climb up onto her back. "Come on, Denzel."

"Can't I ride on top of Daddy this time?" The Hatchling asked. The Red dragon chuckled.

"Sure, why not?"

Flame sat down and let the hatchling climb up onto his back and wrap his wing blades around his father's neck. The red dragon then spread his wings and took off for flight, Tyrrany and Arthur following after him.

"Follow me."

Little did the they know that, off to the side of the grasslands, they were being watched by a Black dragon. Zevron.

"Hmmm…" The son of Malefor thought to himself. "The female is familiar, but that hatchling is an almost absolute match for the hatchling. They must be wearing disguises to walk amongst the commoners."

As the dragons and their dragonfly companion took off for the Glenhaven Jail, Zevron quietly followed them, using his magic to stay hidden from the populace on the ground.

…

Flame, Tyrrany, Denzel and Arthur walked down the rows of cell chambers. Two Cheetah Guards led them to Anthony's cell. The hatchling walked between his parents, shivering.

"Are you alright, Denzel?" Tyrrany asked.

"This place is scary." The hatchling replied, "Why are we here, Mommy?"

"There's someone here that we're going to visit, Denzel." Flame answered.

"Who?"

"You'll find out soon, dear." Tyrrany replied.

One of the Cheetahs eyed the Purple dragoness and the hatchling.

"Who _are_ you two?" He asked. "And why haven't we seen you around before?"

"We're visitors from Faeshrine." Tyrrany said. "I'm an old friend of Flame's."

The Two cheetah guards exchanged glances. The dragoness hid her worry.

_Will they buy if?_ She thought. _It's not like I was even lying…_

"Whatever." The Cheetah said. The dragoness hid a sigh of relief.

A moment later, the group arrived at one of the Jail cells.

"He's in here." The Guard told Tyrrany. "You all have a half an hour, as usual."

"I'll go in first." Flame said. The Red dragon pushed past the Guards and walked inside. Tyrrany, Denzel and Arthur followed suit.

Anthony was chained up and muzzled, like always. This time, it seemed like he was sleeping upon Flame's arrival, snoring peacefully.

As the cell door was closed by the cheetahs, Flame walked up to the metal bars.

"Dad!" He shouted, trying to get Anthony's attention. "DAD!"

Anthony woke with a start.

"What..?" The older red dragon replied, surprised. When he saw Flame's face, he calmed down. "Oh…"

Anthony got up onto his legs and walked as far as the metal chains would allow him.

"Good Afternoon, son." He said.

"Hey, Dad." Flame replied.

Anthony looked behind his son and saw Tyrrany and Denzel standing by the doorway, though he didn't recognize either of them.

"Flame, who are they?" He asked. Flame sighed.

"You're going to be **very** surprised, Dad."

"Why is that?"

Tyrrany approached the bars, amazed. She hadn't seen Anthony in a long time. It was amazing to see one of the powerful, authorities adults in her life reduced to the form of a common prisoner.

"It's…uh.." She stuttered nervously, "it's nice to see you again, Anthony."

The older Red dragon was shocked.

"That voice!" He shouted. "No… it couldn't possibly be…"

Tyrrany removed her Shroud of Darkness, revealing her Snow White hide. Anthony was alarmed.

"YOU!" He exclaimed, suddenly becoming enraged. "Of all the dragons to visit me.. YOU, Tyrrany?"

The rise in the older Red dragon's voice caused Denzel to hide behind his mother, frightened.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Anthony began. "I know you were an aggravated young dragoness all your life, and would often get into fights with other children. I also know that you were driven by rage at your mother for abandoning you. But of all the things for you to do, you decided to VIOLATE Flame?"

"Dad…" Flame tried to interrupt, to no avail. Tyrrany, however, just stood there, taking it in.

"What were you THINKING, you impudent girl? How could you possibly force yourself onto the one dragon who's always tried to be there for you? What did he do to warrant such a deed? Do you value the lives of ANYONE other than yourself?"

"Dad.." The younger Red dragon shouted, still not getting Anthony's attention.

"And then you have the gall to vanish for six months, only to reappear NOW! That's some nerve you got, showing your face to me after all this time! Even if Flame's forgiven you for your disgusting deed, don't think that **I** ever will!"

"DAD!" Flame exclaimed, agitated. "STOP IT!"

"What?" Anthony snapped, glancing at his son. "I'm adamant about this!"

"Dad, look at her." The younger Red dragon demanded.

Tears were running down the White dragoness's face. She was sniffling.

"I'm sorry!" Tyrrany shouted miserably. "I was wrong to do what I did! I wasn't thinking straight that night! Flame truly has been the best of friends to me, and what I did to him that night was a horrible way to show thanks. I **AM** ashamed of myself: You don't have to suggest it!"

The White dragoness crumpled onto the floor, crying profusely. Anthony just glared down at her, still quite angry.

Denzel walked around and hugged Tyrrany's foreleg, tears flowing from his face as well. He didn't fully understand what any of the older dragons were talking about, but he knew that his mother was very, very sad about something.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" The hatchling asked.

Anthony flinched in surprise.

"What did that boy call you just now?" He queried.

Flame reached down and lifted Denzel into the air.

"Hey!" the hatchling complained. "Put me down, Daddy!"

"What?" Anthony shouted.

Flame turned to face his father.

"This is Denzel." The younger Red dragon stated, showing the hatchling to his father. "He's mine and Anny's son."

Anthony was about to ask how this was possible, but he realized fully well how it was.

"So, he was conceived when you were…" He began, but stopping himself from saying it again. "When it happened."

"Yeah…" Flame replied, putting Denzel back down. The hatchling then hugged his mother's foreleg, trying to calm her down. The Red dragon walked around Tyrrany and wrapped his tail around her, holding her close.

The dragoness looked back up at Anthony. She no longer cried, but she was still clearly upset.

"I know that you hate me for what I did, Anthony.." She said, defeated. "I can't ask you to forgive me for what I did to Flame. All I ask of you is to not hate Denzel because of it."

"Oh, he better not…" Flame said angrily.

"What?" Anthony asked, surprised. The younger Red dragon glared up at his father.

"Dad, I love Denzel. He's my son: _Your_ grandson. The main reason I brought him and Anny here was for you to meet him and get back onto good terms with Anny. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to help Anny raise him. The two of us aren't just friends anymore: We're mates. She and Denzel are my family. Go ahead and hate Tyrrany and Denzel: If you do, then you'll have to lose your son as well."

Anthony looked down at Flame. The older Red dragon was completely shocked.

"You can't be serious, can you?" He asked.

"I'm **dead** serious." Flame snapped. "I've been wasting six months trying to get you to tell me where mom is so I can see her again, but all you've done is leave me in the dark. And you claim it's so you can protect me and her. Well guess what: I'm Denzel's father and Anny's mate. And I'm going to protect them, just like you've always told me. And if you're going to be hostile towards them, then I'm going to protect Anny and Denzel from **you**. Not that I'll need to worry about that, since you're in prison and all."

There was an awkward silence in the room for a while.

"Man.." Arthur said at one point. "That's harsh."

After a while, Anthony shed a few tears.

"Flame, I don't want to lose you." He said. "You're my son."

"Not anymore." Flame said coldly. "I don't want to be considered your son, unless you also consider Anny to be your daughter-in-law. But since that's not going to happen, I might as well just take my family and walk out of your life forever."

"NO!" Anthony shouted. "Damnit, Flame, give me some time to speak!"

"I'm listening…" Flame said, holding his mate tighter. Denzel managed to squeeze into the hold as well.

"Flame," Anthony began, "I only want you to be happy. And I'm amazed by how adamant you are about defending Tyrrany-"

"That's not my name anymore." The dragoness interrupted. "Call me Hope or Anny."

"Fine. You would genuinely do anything to make her happy. Even if the circumstances are less than desirable, you've proven that you're going to make a fine provider for her and your son."

"Really?" Tyrrany asked.

"What _about_ Denzel?" Flame queried.

"I have nothing against Denzel." Anthony replied. "What kind of man would I be to hold a grudge against an innocent hatchling?"

"So you consider him your grandson?" Flame asked.

"Of course."

"But what about Anny, then?"

"I…" Anthony stammered, which irritated Flame.

"Goodbye, Dad." He said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" The older Red dragon shouted. "I forgive her!"

Tyrrany stood back up, sniffling a little.

"Thank you, Anthony." She said, slightly happy.

"All I ask is that you do your best to be a good mother to Denzel." The older Red dragon stated. "Prove to me that your wrathful ways are long since dead."

"Of course I will."

"Does this mean that the subject can finally be dropped?" Flame asked his father.

"Yes." Anthony answered. "And I'll do my best to keep the truth of Denzel's birth a secret from your mother in the future."

"Speaking of Mom…" The younger Red dragon said, "Are you **still** going to keep her location a secret from me?"

Anthony sighed.

"No." He answered. "I'll finally tell you where she and the other senior partners of the FTC are."

"You serious?" Arthur shouted. "You're not pulling our legs, are you, Mr. A?"

"Of course not." Anthony replied. "All I ask is that you all flee there immediately, so you can find a good place to hide in the coming Apocalypse."

"We'll talk about **that** later." Flame said. "Tell me: Where are they?"

Anthony took in a deep breath.

"Dante's Holocaust." He said. "Some six months ago, a fleet of the FTC's ships, led by the Sweet Memories, arrived in Dante's Holocaust to begin construction of the FTC's Biocybernetics division in the wasteland. Since Bergan resurrected the Victiumirti, I assume the Building has been used as a safe house by the employees that remained there. The Sweet Memories docked at the southern edge of the Arcus Desert: That's how I arrived here in Glenhaven, along with Richard and several other employees. I imagine that the ship is still docked there."

"Why?" Tyrrany asked.

"They aren't allowed to leave unless _I_ am above the ship. However, I'm sure they will allow you all entry, since you're the children of senior partners."

"Thank you for telling us all this, Dad." Flame said happily.

"Your welcome." Anthony replied. "I suggest you all leave now, and try to get out of Glenhaven as soon as possible."

"What about you?" Tyrrany asked.

"Don't worry about me, Hope." Anthony replied. "It doesn't matter what happens to me. As long as you're all safe, then I've done my job as a Father."

"Okay.."

Tyrrany reapplied her disguise, and she, Flame, Arthur and Denzel turned to leave.

"Bye, Dad." Flame said behind himself. "Thank you for finally telling me."

"Good luck, son." Anthony said back. "Be safe."

…

The group walked out of the Jail and took to the skies. Denzel rode on Flame's back again.

"So, what now?" Arthur asked.

"We head to Miss Mimet's Headquarters immediately." Flame said. "We need to tell her about the Building in Dante's Holocaust."

"Why?" Tyrrany asked.

"We need to get Mimet to let Dad out of Jail." The Red dragon answered. "Plus, I'm trying to gain the Guardians' trust."

"If you say so.."

The group continued on their way. Meanwhile, they were being watched by Zevron, who was hidden in a back alley next to the Jail.

The Black dragon couldn't follow the group inside, so he waited for them to come back out. He had listened in on their conversation a moment ago, and became curious.

"Where could this 'Dante's Holocaust' be, I wonder…"

Suddenly, Zevron felt a presence in the back of his mind, who was making contact with him. It was Malefor.

_Zevron, can you hear me?_

"Yes, father." The Black dragon responded. "What is it?"

_Did you find the girl and her son?_

"Yes, father. I'm about to continue following them this very minute."

_Good._ The Purple dragon sounded pleased. _However, you have a new, secondary objective._

"I do?" Zevron asked. "What is it this time?"

_Kill indiscriminately._

"Father?"

_The invasion of Glenhaven is about to begin, and I command you to take part in it, to keep the others from suspecting us any further._

"As you command, father." Zevron said obediently. "But, when is the invasion going to commence?"

_Look to the skies._

The Black dragon did as his father commanded.

His Jaw nearly hit the floor.

…

A few moments ago, on the northern section of the Arcus Desert…

Urobos was slowly making his way across the desert. Behind him were Spyro, the Deep Shadows, and several hundred dragons and Nondragons, all tired and lethargic.

Spyro walked up alongside The Aged Black dragon.

"It's been a grueling journey, hasn't it?" The Purple dragon asked.

"Aye." Urobos agreed. "But, it's almost over." The Black dragon pointed at the great city that stood on the horizon, slowly approaching.

"We are almost to Glenhaven at last!"

Ever since the last of the White dragon hatchlings were laid to rest, the entire population of Warfang left the city: Nothing was left for them there. They made their way across the Central Ocean without too much problems. The Moles and Cats had to walk across a long string of Ice bridges, but that problem was taken care of over time.

When The massive entourage arrived in the Fractured Hills, the citizens of the Hills' settlements were confused by the Warfang peoples' exodus. Urobos found himself talking to the leader of the Fractured Hills. It was an old acquaintance, the Ex-Queen of Clan Cancer, the dragoness Sara.

Sara and her husband, another Memory dragon named Graham, were the current leaders of the Fractured Hills settlements. Sara had a Pink hide and a light pink underbelly. She had Brown eyes, and Yellow horns that curved backwards on her head. She had a long Blue mane, and a short, beaklike snout. A gold necklace with a Red Gem in the center hung around her neck, and a Purple symbol shaped like a crab was imprinted on each of her back hind legs.

After spending some time to get reacquainted, Urobos explained to Sara the full scope of the situation at hand. After much deliberation, Sara decided to go along with the Black dragon, as well as bring any villagers of the settlements that wished to come along. Her reasoning was that the city would provide better protection from the invading Crepsculi and the Victiumirti than the settlements ever would.

So, with the entourage increased in size by about two hundred Light dragons, Urobos and Spyro led them all across the desert.

And here they were now, only about a quarter of a day's journey away from Glenhaven.

Tina pushed past the Deep Shadows and ran alongside Urobos.

"It's about time!" She shouted. "I was beginning to think we'd **never** make it!"

The Black dragon chuckled.

"Well, we're almost there." He reassured. "Why, we're practically already there."

Sara walked up to Urobos as well.

"That's good." She said. "I wonder if I'll be able to find my daughter.."

"You're daughter?"

"Her name is Ember." Sara replied. "Graham and I decided to send here to the Glenhaven school to learn magic there about half a year ago. We haven't seen here since then."

"Well, I'm sure she's alright." The Black dragon replied. "But anyway, standing around talking about it won't get us there. Let's go."

The massive entourage continued on its way, getting closer and closer to Glenhaven.

Suddenly, something happened that made Urobos gasp in surprise.

Far across the land, two enormous masses of energy appeared at Glenhaven. A large Black ring of Darkness circled the walls of the city, while a giant Purple Portal appeared above the city itself.

Crepsculi swarmed out of the Darkness, while scores of Giant dragons flew out of the Purple portal. And among those Giant dragons were three Victiumirti: Amouris, Adpetis, and Malefor.

Urobos and the Deep Shadows took off into flight without hesitation, racing towards the city. The hundreds of dragons followed suit…


	27. Act 3, Chapter 4

Act 3, Chapter 4

Nellie sat on the cold floor, curled up tight. She was waiting for Runefor to return with Roxanne.

"Why?..." She asked, depressed. "Why is this happening?..."

The dragoness cried a river of tears.

"It's not fair. Why did this have to happen to me? All I wanted was to be with Rune. I love him so much. He's the one who always made me happy whenever I was feeling down. He always used to do so much for me. I would have done anything for him. If he ever wanted to mate with me, I would have done so in a heartbeat. But, he wanted to remain pure until he felt the time came, and I respected that.

"But that Runefor.. Oh, he's a monster! He's everything that Rune isn't! He's selfish, violent, and a sex-crazed cannibal! He's done such horrible things to me! How could something so evil be a part of Rune? Why did Rune become forced to share a body with a Demon? Oh, I'd do anything to be with him again. Anything!"

Nellie continued to cry for a few more moments...

Suddenly, a large Purple cloud of smoke appeared across the chamber. Nellie flinched.

"He's back." She said. "It's time..."

When the cloud faded, Nellie was surprised.

She saw Runefor and Roxanne, as she expected. However, A large Black dragoness was there as well. It was Cynder. To make matters more confusing, Runefor had shrunken back down to his normal size.

"Fuck!" The White dragon shouted. "How did you manage to follow me?"

The Black Dragoness looked around the room, and was shocked to see Nellie crying on the floor a short distance away.

"Nellie?" Cynder asked. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"I wouldn't say _that_, exactly!" Runefor exclaimed, grabbing the still-weakened Roxanne by the neck and lifted her into the air. "I'm going to be replacing her with **this** sexy number!"

"No..." Roxanne whimpered. "Let me go..."

Cynder snarled.

"Rune, I order you to release the Lightning dragoness from your grip!" She commanded.

Runefor laughed in the Black dragoness's face.

"And just what makes you think I'm going to listen to **you**?" He exclaimed, chuckling.

"Rune, I am your Elder." Cynder snapped. "I am also The Great Shadow, which makes me your superior. Let. Her. GO!"

A grin spread across the White dragon's face.

"As you command, Oh high and mighty Great Shadow." He said mockingly.

With one motion, Runefor sent Roxanne flying across the cave. The Lightning dragoness crashed into the wall that Nellie was laying near. She then crumpled to the floor, howling in pain.

Cynder was surprised by what just happened. She then glared down at Runefor, who grinned smugly.

"How DARE you do that to her?" The Black dragoness snarled.

"What? You're shocked that I used violence?" Runefor scoffed. "That's nothing! You see Nellie over there? I've been porking her again and again for six months!"

"WHAT?" Cynder was disgusted.

"Well, I'm not going to be doing it anymore. She's pissed me off one too many times, so now I'm going to be porking Roxanne from now on!"

The Lightning dragoness gasped in shock.

"NO WAY!" She screamed. "Not if you were the last boy in the dragon realms!"

Runefor pointed a talon at Roxanne.

"Shut up!" He shouted. As he did this, a small beam of Convexity flew out of his talon and crashed into the wall a few inches away from Roxanne's head. She yelped in surprise as this happened.

"I recommend keeping your mouth shut." The White dragon sneered.

Cynder growled.

"What in the dragon realms has become of you?" She demanded. "Why have you allowed yourself to become a horrible monster? This was not your fate, Rune! You had everything you ever wanted. You finally had closure with your Mother! You were accepted by your people! You were even able to have Nellie as your beloved.

"But now? Look what you've done! You've aided in the murder of your mother, the dragoness you longed to make peace with so long ago. You've caused the deaths of far more beings than the night of The Hive's destruction. And it seems you've routinely tortured you beloved Nellie time and Time again. Why, Rune? Why would you do all of this?"

Runefor slowly increased in frustration during Cynder's ongoing lecture."

"Oh, would you SHUT UP?" He snapped. "First of all, I am NOT Rune!"

The Black dragoness gasped.

"I knew it!" Roxanne shouted, struggling to get onto her feet. "I **knew** you weren't the real Rune!"

As the Lightning dragoness proceeded to shout at Runefor, the White dragon quickly summoned his Gold-bladed sword into his forepaw. He then quickly turned and tossed the sword at Roxanne, slicing part of her upper horns off before she could react. The sword clattered to the floor, along with the dragoness's blue horns.

"My Horns!" She screamed, grabbing her head.

"I warned you, stupid!" Runefor laughed.

As the White dragon was distracted, Cynder quickly slashed him across the face, sending him flying backwards several yards. He crashed violently onto the floor

"If you're not Rune, then WHO ARE YOU?" Cynder demanded. "And where is the **real** Rune!"

Runefor started getting back onto his feet, laughing.

"Well, technically, I'm half of Rune." He answered. "The _superior_ half. I go by the name Runefor. The rest of Rune's being is locked away inside my head. He's a permanent guest of my mind."

The Black dragoness snarled.

"RELEASE RUNE!" She demanded. Runefor scoffed.

"No." He answered. "I don't have to."

"You had better release him, before I stoop to violence." Cynder sneered, in all seriousness. The White dragon chuckled.

"You don't scare me." He snapped. "I can kill you easily."

"You do not realize the full extent of my power." Cynder growled, her eyes glowing Pure White.

"Likewise, you stupid Black-hided BITCH!"

Runefor's body started glowing with a thick Purple Aura. An instant later, a geyser of Purple energy exploded out from underneath Runefor, engulfing him completely and surprising Cynder.

"Convexity…" She said.

A moment later, Runefor reappeared in view. He had grown to the size of an adult dragon. He was now larger than Cynder.

"As you can see, I'm pretty big myself!" He chided.

His body began to glow with a purple aura again. Cynder got on her guard.

"You can't win, Cynny!" The White dragon shouted. "Any magic you throw at me can't stand up against my Convexity!"

The Black dragoness growled.

"Is that all you ever do?" She asked. "You hide behind the power of Convexity in each of your battles?"

"Well, I go with what works." Runefor replied, grinning. "And it's been working quite well."

"You are a coward." Cynder said coldly.

"Excuse me?" Runefor demanded, glaring. "I'm not the coward. RUNE is the coward!"

"I believe that you would be a weakling if you fought using only your claws and teeth."

"WHAT?" The White dragon shouted. "That's absolute BULLSHIT! I'm just as deadly with Physical Combat as I am with Magic! And since I also have the advantage of scale, I'm the trifecta of Invincibility!"

"Words, but no action." Cynder stated, shaking her head. "If you are as powerful as you claim, then kill me using only Physical tactics. I will do the same."

Runefor scoffed.

"If **that's** the way you want to play it…" Runefor's Purple aura vanished, and he proceeded to shrink back down to the size of a normal teenager. "..Fine. Let's see who can be who, Cynny!"

The White dragon leapt at the Black one, and the two proceeded to battle. The chamber became filled with the sounds of roaring, clawing, and talons ripping though scales.

As the battle commenced, Roxanne limped over to Nellie. Pain still filled the Lightning dragoness's being, but she could tell that Nellie's pain was far worse.

"Nellie…?" She asked. "Are you… okay?"

The Water dragoness didn't look at Roxanne, but she still answered her question.

"No…" Her voice was filled with absolute depression. Roxanne sighed sadly.

The Lightning dragoness could hardly believe that this was happening. Sure, Roxanne had an extreme dislike of Nellie for stealing Rune away, and had no qualms of mocking her in the past. She even took delight in getting the chance to smack Nellie around a bit back when they had that fight in the Palace Arena.

But, even with that as true, Roxanne never wanted to see Nellie like **this**. Her scales were bruised, she had several cuts here and there, and a large chunk of one of her wing membranes was missing. Nellie wasn't just molested by that Runefor character: She was beaten senseless, possibly on more than one occasion.

Roxanne felt horrible. She started to remember the days when the two girls were friends. Back then, whenever one of them had gotten hurt, the other one would do her best to help. The Lightning dragoness sighed.

"Nellie," She began, "I just want to let you know: I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you all this time."

Nellie turned her head to look up at her.

"Why did you start acting that way in the first place?" She asked.

"Uh…" Roxanne stammered nervously. Nellie sighed.

"Don't answer." She said solemnly. "I already know: It's because you liked Rune too, and got jealous of me."

"Right…" The Yellow dragoness replied, feeling stupid. "Well… I'm sorry, Nellie. For everything I said and did to you up to this point. Can you ever find it inside yourself to forgive me?"

Nellie looked away again.

"It doesn't matter if I do or not at this point." She said sadly. "Runefor is going to kill me."

"Oh no he's not!" Roxanne shouted.

The Yellow dragoness looked behind herself to spot the White dragon. He was still locked in combat with Cynder, trying his best to slash at her torso, with little success. Roxanne snarled.

"Nellie, I swear to you by the Ancestors that we'll make it through this alive."

Roxanne tried to help Nellie onto her feet, but the Blue dragoness was reluctant to get up off the floor.

"Come on, Nellie."

"It's hopeless, Rox." The Blue dragoness said, defeated. "You haven't seen what Runefor's capable of. He's killed so many people and destroyed so much of the world in an incredible amount of time. Cynder can't beat him. He's going to kill her, and then me. And then, he's going to violate you in the same way he did to me."

"Stop talking like that!" Roxanne shouted. "He's not going to kill you or Cynder. And there's no way in the Dragon Realms that he's so much as getting _near_ my cootch. Come on!"

Roxanne tried getting Nellie to get up again, but the Blue dragoness still refused.

"How can we possibly beat him?" She asked Roxanne. "He's too strong."

"There _has_ to be a way…" Roxanne replied.

The Yellow dragoness glanced over at the Golden-bladed sword. It still sat on the ground, next to Roxanne's severed upper horns. The dragoness felt her head again, enraged.

She then glanced over at Runefor once again as he battled Cynder.

_I'll stab him to death!_ She decided.

Roxanne walked over to the sword, picked it up in her forepaws, and watched Runefor carefully, waiting for a window of opportunity….

…

Rune couldn't believe what was happening.

Cynder was the one dragoness whom Rune held in the highest regards. When Rune thought he had caused his mother's death, it was _Elenar_'s wrath that the young Black dragon feared to face, not Cynder's. And when the Malefor ordeal came to an end, Cynder helped Rune realize that he had nothing to fear.

But now? Runefor had engaged Cynder in a physical duel, and was looking to kill her. Rune tried to make his other self stop, but he was practically helpless. All he could do was shout.

"Stop it!" Rune screamed. "Stop fighting Cynder!"

_**Oh, shut up!**_ Runefor snapped.

The White dragon appeared before the Black one, standing before the giant invisible barrier that separated their minds.

_**None of your whining and bitching and moaning has ever done a bit of good. I just ignore you and continue on my merry way. I had hoped you were serious when you gave up on shouting at me the other day. But, I guess I was wrong. Stupid me.**_

"You don't understand!"Rune shouted. "Cynder isn't like Nellie! She's already dead! Plus, she's got access to elements that you DON'T have! You can't beat her!"

_**I don't know about that, Rune. **_Runefor replied. _**She looks, talks and FEELS pretty alive to me.**_

"What are you talking about?"

_**Man, you're an idiot…**_ Runefor shook his head in contempt. _**Whenever I scratch at her, she feels pretty damn solid. I'm guessing she decided to stick around for the last six months instead of going back to the Underworld.**_

Rune gasped.

"But that means…" The White dragon laughed.

_**That means that I'll be sending her Big Black ass back to the Underworld REEEEEAL soon!**_

"NO!" Rune protested, banging on the barrier.

"_**No"? You stupid fuck! If I don't kill Cynder, than CYNDER is going to kill US!… Unless I cheat and use Convexity on her ass when she least expects it, that is.**_

"I'd rather she kill us." The Black dragon snapped. "If it means you'll be unable to cause any more death and destruction to the dragon realms, then fine by me."

Runefor scoffed.

_**Moron…**_

With that said, Runefor vanished from view. Rune then looked up at the sky of the abyss, seeing though Runefor's eyes to watch the fight.

"Why does this have to keep happening?" He asked, getting no response in return. "Why do all the people I've cared about keep getting hurt, by **him**? Everything that's happened is because of HIM!"

Rune started to glare He was feeling an emotion that hadn't welled up inside him in ages.

Rage.

…

The duel between Runefor and Cynder raged on.

The White dragon ran around the Black dragoness and leapt into the air, attempting to slash at her wing membranes. However, Cynder swung her foreleg around and knocked him out of the air, sending him crashing into the floor.

Runefor rolled out of the way as Cynder brought her forepaws down to slash his head. He then got back up onto his feet and leapt forwards, slashing a deep wound in the Black dragoness's foreleg. She backed away and held her wound, cursing.

"Still think I'm a coward, Cynny?" Runefor taunted.

"You will pay for your impudence, beast." The Black dragoness shouted. "When I free Rune from your control, you will suffer for all eternity."

"Yeah, right." The White dragon chided, rolling his eyes.

And with that said, the battle continued.

Meanwhile, Roxanne was still waiting for a clear opening, doing her best to stay out of Runefor's view.

Nellie saw the Yellow dragoness holding the sword, and had climbed back up onto her feet and quietly limped over to her.

"What are you doing?" Nellie asked.

"I'm waiting for a clear shot at Runefor." Roxanne whispered. "I'm going to stab him to death."

"You can't." Nellie said, trying to grab the sword away. However, Roxanne pulled back from the Blue dragoness, glaring.

"Yes I can." She said. "Just because you're depressed doesn't mean I have to be too."

"You don't understand." The Blue dragoness pleaded. "If you kill Runefor, then.."

"Then he'll be forced down into the Underworld, and we won't be seeing him again anytime soon afterwards." Roxanne interrupted. "Please, Nellie, there's no need to-"

Suddenly, Roxanne gasped. She saw a window of opportunity.

Runefor had lunged at Cynder again, only to be sent flying backwards across the cave. From the way the Black dragoness hit him, the White dragon had landed hard on his back, stunning him for a moment.

Immediately, Roxanne ran forwards, careful not to trip while carrying the sword.

"Rox, wait!" Nellie shouted to her.

She shouldn't have done that.

Runefor heard the Blue dragoness's shout, and looked over to see Roxanne attempt to stab him in the stomach. He rolled out of the way and onto his feet just before he was impaled.

"You BITCH!"

Runefor quickly punched Roxanne, sending the sword flying out of her forepaws. He was about to strike her again, but he saw Cynder approaching out of his peripheral vision and quickly dodged out of the way of a Mighty Wind blast from the Black dragoness's mouth.

"I won't have you attacking these girls any more!" Cynder snarled.

"Oh really?" Runefor shouted.

With a snap of his talons, he vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. Before the Black dragoness could figure out where he was, the White dragon reappeared above her back.

Runefor quickly swung his forepaws around the Black dragoness's neck and drove his talons into it, tearing at her flesh.

"NO!" The two younger dragonesses shouted in unison.

Runefor let go of Cynder's neck and teleported again, leaving the Black dragoness to clutch her throat, gagging and coughing up blood. Runefor appeared next to Roxanne's side and immediately slashed at her face, cutting one of her eyes.

As the Yellow dragoness screamed in pain, Runefor proceeded to cut several nasty wounds allover her body.

"THIS is what happens when you PISS! ME! OFF!" The White dragon shouted angrily.

When he was done cutting her, Runefor shoved Roxanne onto the floor.

The Yellow dragoness cried in agony, while the Black dragoness struggled to keep from choking on her own blood. As this happened, Nellie watched in horror. Runefor, on the other hand, was laughing with glee.

"Do you see, girls?" The White dragon chided. "I have no qualms about beating up on annoying bitches who piss me off!"

Runefor pointed at talon at Roxanne.

"You know, Rox, if you just decided to go along with it, you could have made a fine mate for me in the new world I create. But, you blew it BIG TIME!"

The yellow dragoness snarled through her bleeding face.

"Fuck… you…" She said weakly. The White dragon scoffed.

Runefor walked around Roxanne and towards Cynder.

"Ah, Cynder." He said. "Cynder, Cynder, Cynder. Your efforts were in vain. The old, goody-goody Rune is pretty much beyond your help. Like I said before, he's a permanent guest inside me. He's doomed. Just. Like. YOU!"

The Black dragoness was slowly healing, but she was bleeding at a rapid pace.

"You…" She choked out. "You… horrible… monster…"

Runefor laughed.

"I'm sick of you're bitching." He said. "I'll kill **you** first."

The dragonesses were helpless to defend themselves as the White dragon slowly charged up his Convexity energy….

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice screamed at the top of their lungs.

_NO!_

Immediately, Runefor stopped charging energy and began shaking violently.

"What the fuck?" The White dragon shouted, surprised.

Runefor twitched and shook in place, his body being taken over by some unseen force.

Roxanna and Cynder were confused by the site. Nellie, however, was the most confused of all.

_Can it be?_ She thought.

Runefor grabbed his head, groaning loudly. When he spoke, he sounded like two people talking at once.

"I'm… tired… of… your… crap!"

The White dragon started stumbling around. As he did this, random parts of his body started changing Black, only to turn White again, and then Black again. Meanwhile, Runefor started arguing with himself.

"How are you doing this? I'm not about to tell you! Well it's aggravating! Tough shit!"

Nellie approached the dragon. She had started getting hopes up…

"Rune?" She asked.

The Black-White dragon turned to look at the Blue dragoness. His left eye belonged to Runefor, while his right eye belonged to Rune."

"Nellie, do something!" He shouted. "Don't even think about it, Nellie! Don't listen to him! You still belong to me! Nellie, help me!"

The blue dragoness became excited and afraid at the same time. It looked like Rune had somehow started regaining control of his body. However, it didn't look like he would succeed. In fact, parts of Rune's body was slowly turning completely White again.

_He's not going to succeed, is he?_

"Nellie!" Rune and Runefor shouted. "Fetch the sword!'

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"Go pick up my sword and give it to me!" Rune and Runefor pleaded. "Yes, go get the sword!"

Nellie was now confused.

"You two are _agreeing_?"

"NO!" They shouted. "Runefor is trying to trick you into giving him the sword so he can kill you! THAT'S A LIE! **HE** is Runefor, not me! YOU'RE the one who's lying! Nellie, hurry: I can't keep this up much longer! NO, **I'M** the one who's struggling to keep this up!"

The Blue dragoness didn't know what to do.

"Nellie…" Roxanne said weakly. "Get the sword…"

"But-"

"Please, Nellie!" Rune and Runefor pleaded. "Do it!"

The Blue dragoness wandered over to the sword and picked it up. She then slowly walked towards where Rune and Runefor were standing.

As she approached them, she continued to decide whether it would be a mistake of not to hand the Black-White dragon the sword.

_I don't know about this…_ She thought.

Nellie looked into Rune and Runefor's eyes. Rune's Golden eye looked like it was pleading with her to help him, while Runefor's demonic eye looked ready to kill her at a moment's notice.

Soon, Nellie came to a decision. Something that made her shed a tear before she even did it.

_I'm sorry, Rune…_ She said in her mind. _This is the only way I can free you of Runefor's control…_

Nellie walked slowly up to Rune and Runefor. The Black-White dragon reached out to grab hold of the sword. However, before they could do that, the Blue dragoness did something unexpected.

She stabbed the Black-White dragon right through the heart,

Rune and Runefor grabbed hold of the fast-bleeding wound, a look of horror on their face. As this happened, all of the White faded from their body. Runefor's three extra horns vanished. And both of Rune's eyes appeared in his head.

"Nellie…."

The blue dragoness watched with a solemn expression as Rune collapsed onto the floor.

He was dead.


	28. Act 3, Chapter 5

Act 3, Chapter 5

The three Victimirti hovered high above the streets of Glenhaven as the scores of Crepsculi and Corrupted dragons began to flood the city. All across Glenhaven, dragons were horrified at the sudden appearance of the invading army. Soon, the entire city was filled with th eshouts and roars of a great and mighty struggle.

Adpetis laughed in delight.

"Look at them all." She said gleefully. "Cowering like ants! HA! Killing them will be a favor."

Amouris turned to face Malefor.

"What do you think we should do first, Malefor?" She asked.

"I believe we should split up and pick off the pesky little dragons one by one." Adpetis replied.

"I didn't ask **you**, Adpetis." The Purple dragoness snapped.

"It doesn't matter." Malefor suddenly said. "We should fight as one."

"What makes you believe that?" Amouris queried.

The Purple ale turned and pointed towards the north.

"We have company."

...

Urobos flew straight for the fcfity, moving as fast as his aged wings would allow him. Wraith, Grail, Aegis, and Spyro flew by his side. Elza and Lilith were not among the Deep Shadows: They had opted to stay behind with the other beings not fit for combat to look after their respective children. Nerona had chosen to stay behind as well: She chose to help Lady Sara keep the non-combative beings calm during the ensuing battle.

An entire army of dragons, from both Warfang AND the Fractured Hills, flew right behind Urobos and the others, ready to aid their Glenhaven brethren. In the meantime, scores of Moles and Cats charged towards the city on the ground, ready to combat the army of Crepsculi around the city walls.

"STOP THE ATTACKING DRAGONS IN ANY WAY YOU CAN!" Urobos commanded. He wanted to warn them not to kill the Corrupted dragons as well, but he knew that it couldn't be helped anymore.

As the armies clashed, the Aged Black dragon led the Deep Shadows towards the very center of the city. As he got close, he drew his sword into his forepaw.

_These beasts will pay for what they've done to these children,_ he thought to himself.

Urobos came to a stop a considerable distance from the three Victimirti, as did Spyro and the Deep Shadows.

The two groups just stared at each other for a while.

"So, Spyro." Malefor stated coldly. "We meet once again."

The other Purple dragon snarled.

"There's no need for words, Malefor." He said angrily.

"**I** beg to differ!" Urobos shouted. The Black dragon pointd his sword at Malefor. "I demand that you vacate my son's body IMMEDIATELY!"

The Demon-eyed Purple dragon laughed.

"And what makes you think you are in a position to be giving me orders, old man?" He asked.

robos, in his anger, began charging his sword with Dark energy. Before he could strike, Spyro blocked the Black dragon's path.

"Stop, Urobos." The Purple dragon said. "Malefor is **my** opponent."

"Oh, really?" Amouris shouted. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather face ME instead, Spyro?"

Spyro turned and faced Amouris, looking her right in the eyes.

"Amouris..." He said coldly. "I remember when William and my son put a stop to you."

The Purple dragon's anger began to rise.

"I also remember how you twisted my daughter's mind with your lies."

"Daughter?" Wraith asked.

Amouris chuckled sarcastically.

"I helped her realize that she was being forced to play second fiddle to a supposedly 'greater' dragon, just like I had to do."

"ENOUGH BANTER!" Urobos roared. "All three of you Victiumirti are going to rot away int he deepest pockets of the Undreworld!"

Adpetis laughted at this statement.

"You want to fight us?" She chided. "I've got a beter idea: Fight **THIS** dragon!"

As soon as the White dragoness said that, a large, Black dragon appeared in a cloud of Purple smoke. Urobos gasped in surprise.

"Cyrus!"

The Corrupted Black dragon hovered befgore Adpetis, completely stone-faced. The White dragoness chuckled.

"Can you bring yourself to kill your beloved Grandson, old man?" She chided.

The Aged Black dragon wat torn.

_Could_ he kill his grandson? Of course not! There was no way in the Dragon Realms that he'd EVER be willing to do such a thing. And yet, he couldn't let Cyrus stay the way he was: he was far too dangerous. Urobos would have to find a way to incapacitate the oung Black dragon without killing him.

"Spyro..." He began. "..I shall combat Amouris. You may put an end to Malefor."

"Agreed."

The Aged Black dragon turned to face his warriors.

"Put an end to Adpetis, but try to stop my Grandson without killing him."

"Yes, sir!" The Deep Shadows shouted.

Malefor scoffed.

"Pathetic bugs." He sneered. "It doesn't matter what order you choose to fight in; We'll killyo u all the same."

"Stop talking and FIGHT!" Spyro roared, charging forwards.

With that, the battle between the Dark dragons and the Victiumirti began.

...

As soon as the battle started, all of the dragons disperced. Malefor took to the skies, Spyro following close behind. Adpetis and Cyrus flew down to the streets, flollowed closely by Grail, Wraith and Aegis. This left Urobos and Amouris alone.

The two dragons glared at each other.

"You can't defeat me, old man!" She shouted. "You're world-worn, whereas _I_ am still in my prime."

The Black dragon charged his Concurrence energy.

"Quit boasting and prove your words." He challenged.

Immedately, the Purple dragoness fired a blast of Convexity energy at the old dragon.

Urobos dodged past this blast and charged at Amouris, his sword ready to slice through her neck. However, the Purple dragoness flew out of the way, swrving around the Black dragon and striking his back with a blast of Lightning.

Urobos roared in pain as he spun around in the air to strimke back. He immediately unleashed a blast of Wind breath at the dragoness, knocking her off-balance. As she struggled to right herself, the Black dragon swooped in and attempted to run her through with the sword.

Before he could get in a good strike, Amouris fired out a barrier of Convexity around herself, wich temporarily disoriented Urobos. The dragoness then struck the Aged dragon across the chest, sending him reeling backwards. She then followed up this attack with another Convexity beam, sending the Black dragon to the ground.

As it should happen, just moments ago, Wraith, Grail and Aegis were strugglng to fight off Cyrus and Adpetis.

Aegis was trying to use his Memory element to force Cyrus to come to a stop. Howerver, the corrupted Black dragon was attacking wim with a barrage of Concurrence blasts, forcing the Dark Brown dragon to keep dodging.

Meanwhile, nearby, Grail and Wraith had gone up against Adpetis. The two Deep Shadows, having no projectile-based magic, attmpted to get up close to strike the White dragoness down.

When Urobos came hurtling down towards them, Grail spotted teh Aged dragon.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!"

The Grey dragon immediately leapt to Urbos's aid, flying up to break his fall.

Adpetis saw this, adn tried to attack them. However, Wraith teleported infront of her and sliced at her chest, distracting her.

"How DARE you!" She snarled.

"Let's see you fight back!" Wraith snapped. The Dark Red dragonproceeded to teleport around Adpetis, slashing at her to keep her attention

As this happened, Grail managed to get Urobos safely onto the ground.

"Are you alright, your majesty?" Grail asked, concerned.

"Yes, I-"

Before the Aged Black dragn could answer, Amouris came swooping down from the sky, firing a beam of Convexity into the ground. The two Dark dragons dodged out of the way as massive chunks of the ground started burtsing upwards underneath them.

"Think you can get away, old man?" Amouris chided. "Some Black dragon YOU turned out to be!"

Cyrus heard the commotion, turned around, and charged at Urobos, snarling the whole way. The younger-yet-larger Black dragon punced onto his grandfather and attmpted to gore him like a wild animal.

"_That_ one, howerver, has far more potential."

"Cyrus, no!" Aegis and Grail shouted in unison. The two Deep Shadows charged over to lend the king their aid.

However, Amouris came to a landing between them and proceeded to fire a barrage of Convexity balsts to keep them at bay.

"I say we let the Black dragons duke it out alone."

"Move, you swine!" Grail roared.

As Aegis and Grail struggled to fgight past Amouris, Urobos was struggling to force his grandson off of himself wiht his forelegs. the younger Black dragonslashed at Urobos's throat, but the Elder dragon managed to avoid getting struck.

With a burst of Earth breath, Urobos sent the other Black dragon reeling backwards and crashing into the ground. Cyrus soon got back onto his feet, snarling.

_I can't let Cyrus's madness go on like this, _The Aged Black dragon thought.

Urobos summoned his sword to him once again and leapt into action.

_I hope I can pull this off._

...

The two Purple dragon had flown high above the city of Glenhaven. They then proceeded to attack each other wiht all their might.

For a time, the sky became filled with explosions of energy and the roars of Spyro and Malefor, two mortal enemies who found themselves once again locked in combat.

Malefor attacked by quickly charging up his magic and firing a barrage of giant orbs of Convexity at Spyro, which exploded as they got near him. Spyro managed to swrve around the explosions before they damaged him. The Aged Purple dragon then flew towards his opponent and struck him with a blast of Earth breath.

Malefor was sent flying backwards in the air, but quickly spun around in a cirrcle and charged at the other dragon, shooting out a burst of Purple flames. Spyro created a shield of Blue fire around himself to prevent the heat of Malefor's attacks form burning him alive.

As soon as the attack ended, Spyro froze time and chargef forwards, ramming into Malefor at high speed and sending both dragons hurtling towrds theground. the Aged dragon then proceeded to punch away at Malefor's face, but the Victiumirtus used the same Time-freezing ability to fight back.

The two Purple dragons plummeted towards the ground, biting and clawing at each other as the world around them was silent and frozen.

"You despicable louse!" Malefor sneered, his voice fueled by hate.

"Not asdespicable as YOU!" Spyro snapped, just as enraged.

As the two dragons got closer to Warfang, Spyro changed tactics. He proceeded to charge up his magic to hit Malefor head-on with a blast of Convergence: The combination of teh six Light elements he possessed. howerver, right before Spyro unleashed the White energy blast at Malefor, the Victiumitus realized what his opponent was about to do and teleported away in a cloud of purple smoke, returning to normal time.

Spyro's own time control faded away as his Convergence blast travbeled right through the space where his opponent was a split-second before. Before the Aged dagon cold figure out where Malefor had gone, the Victimirtus appeared directly above him. Malefor then struck his unwitting enemy with a blast of Convexity. Spyro was struck in the back and sent crashing to the world below, roaring in pain.

Moments ago, Wraith was still teleporting around Adpetis, slashing and clawing at the White dragoness. Shetried with all ehr might ti strike himdown, using her own Space element to beat him at his own game. Howerver, Wraith was able to move at a slightly faster pace, keeping him always just outside of her reach.

"Hold still!" Adpetis snarled.

"Fuck no!" Wraith snapped.

The constant barrage of teleporting continued, neither dragon making any success to strike the other.

In the meantime, Urobos was facing off against Cyrus. The Aged dragon was looking for a moment when his grandson was moving the least. Only then would Urobos be able to remove Cyrus's corruption.

As Urobos's struggle continued, Grail and Aegis were attempting to get past Amouris and run to the King's aid. However, Amouris attacked them with a barrage of Convexity beams and blasts, keeping the two Deep Shadows distracted.

Aegis, quite enraged, shot outwards with his mind at the Purple dragoness's and attempted to bombard her with a barrabe og mental blasts. Amouris fought back with blasts of her own. Soon, the two dragons were engaged in an invisible tug-of-war of wills.

"GO!" Aegis shouted to Grail, straining to keep form losing his concentration.

"Aye!" The Grey dragon replied.

Grail dashed around the struggling dragons and raced towards Urobos and Cyrus.

It was at this moment when Spyro crashed violently into the pavement, mere feet away from Urobos.

"GOOD LORD!" Grail shouted, running to the fallen dragon.

"Spyro!" Uobos exclaimed in shock.

The Aged dragon and Deep shadow tried to lift Spyro up onto his feet, but Cyrus came rushing through and takeld Urobos, knocking him to the ground several yards away.

"Urobos!" Spyro shoeud, righting himself.

Before the Aged Purple dragon and Grail could run to Urbos's aid, Malefor came flyng down from the sky. The Victiumirtus unleashed a great barrabe of Convexity attacks at the ground, forcint the two to take cover.

The battle for Glenhaven continued on.

...

Tina slashed at the throat of a Crepsculi, causing it to fall out of th eair, gagging and fading into nothing. the young dragoness then sent several powrful Mental blasts ointo the head of a Giant Fire dragon. The Corrupted ragon fell to the ground and twitched in pain. Tina struck the dragon a few more times until he was too weakened to fight anymore.

Tina came to a landing and breathed a sigh of relief.

_Damn! There's hundreds of them, isn't there._

The dragoness took off into flight and traveled off to ohter parts of the city, looking for more Crepsculi.

All around Tina, scores of dragons, both normal and Corrupted, as well as a countless number of the Black beasts were engated in the massive battle. the air was filled with thousands of roars, battle creis, clashing of weaponry, and explosions of magic. But the biggest sourceo f noice was coming from the very center of the city.

_King Urobos and the others must be fighting over there. I wonder if I should try helping them._

The young dragoness, deep in curiosity, made a flight path to the center of Glenhaven.

A short while later, a massive collection of explosions filled the air. The young dragoness, surprised, hastened her flight. When she arrived at the cneter of the city, she saw what was causing the explosions.

On one side of the battlefield, Aegis, Tina's father, was locked in a mental struggle against the dragoness Amouris. On the other side, Wraith was dueling the dragoness Adpetis. In the center, Spryo and Grail were dodging a storm of attacks from Malefor. And a good distance away, King Urobos was struggling to subdue a Corrupted Black dragon.

Cyrus.

Tina gasped.

_I've got to help the King!_

Without a second thought, the young dragoness took off for flight around the battlefield. She circled past the battling dragons, careful not to be seen, until she arrived at the spot where Urobos and Cyrus were locked in a struggle. She readied herself to strike.

_Here I come, Runt._

The Dark Yellow dragoness lunged forwards and landed on Cyrus's back. She wrapped all of her limbs around the surprise dragon's neck and shot hermind into his like a bullet. The Corrupted dragon started twitching and jumping around wildly, trying to toss Tina off.

When Urobos saw Tina's stunt, he nearly jumped in surprise and alarm.

"Tina?"

"Hurry up and remove the Corruption!" She shouted. "I'll distract him!"

"Fine!"

Urobos readied his sword and stepped forwards.

A moment later, two events happened simultaneously.

...

A good distance away, Malefor spotted Tina as she leapt onto Cyrus's back.

"That little louse!" He snarled.

the Victiumirtus turned and charged towrds the area where Tina and Cyrus were. Howerver Spyro flew up into the air and blocked his path.

"Don't even think of it, Malefor!"

The Victimirtus attacked Spyro with another round of Convexity bombs, and the two Purple dragons continued their duel.

...

On the other side of the battlefield, a short time before Tina leapy onto Cyrus's back, Wraith and Adpetis were continuing their teleportation duel.

Unfortunately, Wraith's teleporting had started to become predictable, and Adpetis took notice. So, the next time she disappered, instead of appearing a short distance away, she appeared. behind a nearby building, hidden from view.

Wraith looked around, confused.

"Crap! Where'd she go?"

An instant later, Adpetis appeared behind the Deep Shadow and blasted him in the back with a Convexity Beam.

"HERE!" She screamed.

Wraith crashed to the ground, writhing in pain. A large hole was burned through his Grey Robes, and the scales underneath were badly burned as well.

"FINALLY!" Adpetis roared triumphantly. "And now to deal with the old sod!"

The White dragoness turned around to lunge at the Aged Black dragon. Before she could do so, however, she was struck across th side by Grail.

"Back away, you White devil!" He snarled with rage.

"Make me, little man!" She challenged.

The Grey dragont ried to tear away at the dragoness's flesh with his talons, while Adpetis fired a barrage of Convexity beams and blasts at him. The Victiumirtus attacked wildly, taking no care in her aim. Many chunks of the gravel were blown into ashes in her mad rush.

"You're a failure, White one!" Grail roared as he dodnged a rapid Convexity blast. "You attack everything but your target!"

"SHUT UP!" Adpetis snarled.

Eventuallly, the dragoness's carelessness led to a grave mistake.

During her sporadic string of attacks, when Grail dodged one of the beams, the beam continued on its way across the battlefield. It traveled all the way to the dueling Aegis and Amouris, who were still locked in a mental duel. The Convexity beam struck the Purple dragoness across teh side, sending her creashing down to the ground. Amouris roared in pain as Adpetis gasped in surprise.

Everyone else, including Malefor and Spyro, was caught completely off guard.

Immediately, Amouris got back onto her feet and turned towards the White dragoness, absolute hatered in her eyes.

"You SHREW!" The Purple dragoness snarled. "Where do you get off attacking ME?"

"Well, you should have known better than to stand perfectly still for so long!" Adpetis snapped.

"WHAT?" The Purple dragoness bellowed angrilly. "I'll MURDER YOU!"

Not a moment later, Amouris felw across the battlefield at high speed, roaring with absolute rage. She crashed violently into Adpetis and proceeded to claw and bite at her. The White dragoness fought back the same way, equally furious.

"Stop this at once, you fools!" Malefor demanded.

"There're not going to listen to you, Malefor." Spyro snapped. "The Underworld hath no fury like a woman scorned. And they are BOTH women."

"Silence, wretch!"

The Purple dragons resumed their battle.

As the two male Purple dragons battle in the air, and the two dragonesses fougth to the death on the ground, Urobos turned his attention back to Cyrus and Tina.

"Hold on, Tina." He said. "I'm coming."

In the meantime, Aegis and Grail flew over to the still-weakend Wraith, intending to take him to safety.

...

Tyrrany, Flame, Denzel and Arthur were traveling ti mimet's base of operations on the Eastern side of town when the massive battle began. They were forced to come to a landing and hide in a back alley to avoid being seen by any of the Corrupted dragons.

They were hiding for quite a while now.

"What's going on/!" Tyrrany shouted, hiding Denzel underneath her. The hatchling started to cry.

"Make them go away, Mommy." He pleaded, scared out of his wits.

Denzel reached out as if to try adn grab his mother, who wrapped her forelegs around her son to calm him down.

"Calm down, little one." She said soothingly. "Everything will be alright."

Despite those calming words, the dragoness was absolutely terrified for her son. Anything could attack them at any moment.

Flame brought his head down low to look his son in the eyes.

"There's nothing to worry about, Den." He said ressuringly. "We won't let any of those scary dragons get anywhere near you."

"Promise?" Denzel asked. The Red dragon smiled.

"Promise. Nobody's going to hurt you."

"That may or may not be entirely accurate." Someone suddenly said, surprising the teenagers.

"Who's there?" Arthur demanded, as Tyrrany pushed her son underneath her again.

Soon, a large, Black dragon approached from the shadows of the alley.

Zevron.

"Hello, Tyrrany." He said, grinning. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"WHOA RE YOU?" The dragoness shouted. The Blck dragon chuckled.

"My name is Zevron." He said. "I am the son of Malefor."

"Son of Malefor?"

"Well he certainly looks the part." Arthur commented.

"Shut up, Arthur." Flame snapped. this is not the time for jokes."

Zevron took several steps forewards, while Tyrrany snarled.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"I'm here to make sure you take up the offer my father gave you the other day." Zevron replied.

"Forget it." Tyrrany snapped. "I don't need Malefor's offer. Tell him to go fuck himself!"

The Black dragon sneered.

"I wouldn' t do that if I were you." He said, glaring. "Things could get needlessly complicated."

"LEAVE!" Tyrrany snarled. "Before I **MAKE** you leave!"

"I'd like to see you try, little girl." Zevron said coldly. His eyes started to glow completely red.

The dragoness opened her mouth in an attempt to attack with a Lightning blast. howerver, she suddenly lost control of herself.

"What the?" She shouted.

The dragoness suddenly started shaking violently, before toppling over onto her side.

"Anny!" Flame shouted, surprised. Zevron chuckled, which enraged teh Red dragon. "You're DEAD!"

Flame charged at the Black dragon, preparing to bite him. However, he instantly lost control of his body and fell down.

"Daddy!" Denzel shouted, frightened.

As Flame and Tyrrany struggled to regain control of themselves, Zevron walked towards the hatchling. Denzel backed away, afraid.

Arthur flew between the hatchling and the Black dragon.

"BACK OFF!" He demanded. Zevron laughed.

"Oh, please." He said mockingly. "You can't do a thing, insect!"

An instant later, Athur suddenly fell out of the air and crashed into the gorund. He twicthed violently, just like the other two teenagers.

"Denzel, run!" Tyrrany shouted. "Run away!"

"I wouldn't do that, little dragon." Zevron sneered. "Unless, of course, you want your Mommy to suffer."

"W...What are you going to do to Mommy?" The hatchling stammered.

"Nothing." Zevron said, grinning. 'But your Daddy will certainly do something."

Suddenly, Flame got up onto his feet, but not of his own accord.

"What the?" He shouted in surpsise.

Flame walked over to Tyrrany, lifted a paw in the air, and then swung it down, driving his talons into the dragoness's side. She howled in pain.

"Flame, what are you DOING?" She shouted.

"I can't stop myself!" Flame replied, struggling to lift his paw away, to no avail. Instead, the Red dragon proceeded to cut a deep wound in the dragoness's side. Tyrrany continued to shriek from the pain as she bled onto Flame's forepaw.

Denzel ran up to Flame and started hitting the Red dragon's hind legs.

"Stop it, Daddy!" He pleaded, crying. "Stop hurting Mommy!"

"Den, it's not me!" Flame yelled, still struggling to stop himself.

Zevron laughted at the spectacle.

"There's nothing you can do, little dragon." He said.

The Black dragon walked forwards, reached down, adn grabbed Denzel by his gruff.

"Put me down!" The hatchling protested, swinging his tiny limbs.

"Denzel!" Flame exclaimed, horrified.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Tyrrany roared. "NOW!"

"That's not going to happen." Zevron said coldly. "The hatchling will be coming with me. He'll be acting as leverage."

Zevron held a talon up to the scared hatchling's neck.

"What are you doing/!" Tyrrany shouted hysterically.

"If you refuse my father's offer..." The Black dragon drove the tip of his talon into Denzel's neck, causing a trickle of blood to flow. "far worse things than THIS are going to happen."

"NO!" Tyrrany shrieked in rage.

Denzel clasped his neck, squeling in pain and crying a river of tears.

"STOP HURTING HIM!" Flamre roared, trying wth all his might to turn and attack the Black dragon.

"Take some time to think it over." Zevron said, creating a portal of Purple energy around himself and Denzel. "Either swear loyalty to my father, or lose your son."

The three teenagers suddenly fount themselves regaining control fo their bodies just at Zevorn and Denzel were vanishing. Flame tried to punce on the Black dragon, but he was already gone.

"DAMNIT!" Flame exclaimed, snarling. "That son of a bitch!"

Tyrrany, meanwhile, had started crying profusely and roaring in both rage and pain.

"They're going to kill my baby!" She shouted hysterically.

Flame turned around to face his mate. He was crying as well, but not as heavily as Tyrrany.

"No, they're not." he said to her. The Red dragon wrapped his forelegs around the dragoness, trying to calm her down. "Don't write him off as dead just yet, Anny."

"What do we do, Flame?" Tyrrany asked, sobbing. "How're we going to find him?"

"I have an idea." Flame said reassuringly. "Come on; Let's go find Cynder."

...

Urobos faced his corrupted gradson, ready to stab him with the sword at the right moment.

The Corrupted dragon had suddenly stopped twitching so sporadically, and was now standing in one spot, though still ready to attack. Urobos sighed.

I suppose one can't expecct miracles from teenagers." He said solemnly. "In any case, she's doing her best."

The Aged dragon readied his sword, srpeading his wings for flight.

"Here I come, Cyrus."

With that said, Urobos leapt into action.

A moment later, the Aged dragon expected his grandson to fight back immediately. Instead, much to his surprise, the Corrupted dragon remained in place, grunting and snarling at something inside his head.

"She's doing it!" Urobos realized.

With nothing stopping him, the Aged dragon drove the tip of his sword into Cyrus's chest, just enough to pierce his flesh, but not enough to wound the organs beneath.

The Corrupted dragon roared in pain, putting Urobos on alert.

_I must act NOW!_

Immediately, Urobos charged his body and swrod with his latent Convexity energy. He then began drawing the Convexity energy out of Cyrus's body and into his own.

Bit by bit, the Corrupted dragon became smaller and smaller, until he was reduced to his true size. No longer able to support Tina's body on his shoulders, the young black draogn crumpled under her weight.

Urobos drew his sword and sighed.

"It is done."

A moment later, Cyrus climbed up onto his feet, his eyes returned to normal.

"Why does my chest hurt?" He wondered out loud.

Tina climbed up onto her feet as well, while Urobos used his Water and Pain elements to heal his grandson's wound.

"How are you feeling, Cyrus?" He asked.

"Grandfather? Uh.. I'm well enough I guess."

Immediately, Tina smacked Cyrus acorss the back of the head.

"OW!"

"You're a real idiot, Runt!" Tina scolded.

"Gee, thanks."

Tina cut the young Black dragon off by kissing him on the snout.

"But you're _my_ idiot."

Cyrus blushed.

"It's good to have you back to normal, Cyrus," Urobos stated, "But there's no time for happy reunions: I need you two to get to safety."

"What will **you** do, Granddad?" Cyrus asked.

"Hmmm..."

The Aged Black dragon looked up at the Sky. Spyro was still locked in combat against Malefor.

"He seems to be doing well enough without my aid."

"Well, what about them?" Tina asked.

She was pointing over at Amouis and Adpetis.

THe two dragonesses had stopped dueling and were now staring each other down. Both of them were breathing heavily and covered in various bleeding wounds allover their bodies.

"They are both close to death." Urobos stated, drawing his sword. "This shouldn't be too diffucult."

The Aged Black dragon crepts towards the two Victiumirti as they were distracted, while the two young dragons left for safety.

...

"You know, Amouris," Adpetis sneered, "I always thought you were a titanic failure."

"Madness!" Amouris snapped. "I was the dragones responcible for the fall of the first King of Clan Pisces, and forever soured the clan's opinion of the Dark dragons. By extension, I am the cause of the Twilight war that ravished this age."

"You succewsses are greatly overshadowed by your failures." The White dragoness stated. "You failed to kill Prince Nexius when you had the chance, thus allowing the Black dragon line to endure. The curse you placed over King William's bloodline has yet to take efffect. And your Corruption of Chrisala? Even THAT success did little to save you fromd eath. Truly, Runileon and I, two White dragons, tok your tactics and perfected them, thrus proving our kind's superiority to Purple dragons."

"You two ultimately failed, just like the me, Malefor, Lucrun and Desysto."

"Even so, I was able to do something that the others didn't: I was able to conceive a child that proved his worth."

Amouris snarled.

"Still thy tongue."

"Oh, did I strike a nerve, Amouris?" Adpetis chided. "Did you produce a child that was ultimately worthless or a betrayer to your name?"

The Purple dragoness seethed with rage.

"Oh, that's right!" The White dragoness declared. "You've never produced children, and never will! You have no eggs to give life to! Your belly is notihng but an empty shell!"

"SILENCE!" Amouris roared. Adpetis only laughed.

"Unlike yourself, I've been able to produce many children in my time." She said proudly. "Even now, a child is sleeping inside me, ready to be given life, thanks to aid from Prince Cyrus."

_What_? Urobos shouted in his mind. The Aged Black dragon was hiding on the other side of the battlefield, waiting and watching the two dragonesses.

_Why, that Pedophilic SHE-BEAST!_

"I'll kill you and y unborn chld long before you get the chance to lay the egg." Amouris sneered.

"I beg to differ, Amouris." Adpetis chided. "Behold, my greatest ability!"

Suddenly, the White dragoness's body glowed with a Purple Aura. The Purple energy then flowed across Adpetis's body and entered inside one place: Her belly.

The White dragoness winced in pain as her belly slowly grew in size.

"What are you doing?" Amouris demanded.

"As you know, the younger a dragon is, the easier it is for Convexity energy to increaseits physical age." Adpetis stated. "The more energy used, the bigger it gets. Luckily, it won't talke much energy for THIS to happen!"

A short moment later, Adpetis's belly had grown form its normal size to that of one hiding an egg inside it. Amouris looked on in amazement.

"You've corrupted your own unborn child?" She asked. "That's disgusting!"

_I never thought I'd agree with an enemy, but she is correct._

"It's not the worst I've done, for the first time." Adpetis replied. "And now, to produce it!"

The White dragoness held her forepaws over her now-expanded belly and calle dupon her Space element. A moment later, and wiht one great scream of pain from the White dragoness, an egg appeared in her forepaws, in a cloud of Purple smoke.

Adpetis breathed heavily as she gently set the egg beneath herself.

"I've done it again!" She declared with pride. "I've produced yet another Chaos dragon! I have been the proud mother of the most powerful dragons our age has ever seen!"

The White dragoness laughted hysterically, while the Purple one snarled.

Urobos, now guite sickened by the she-beast of a dragoness, charged his magic and teleported behind Adpetis, sword ready for the kill.

"May the Ancestors have mercy on your soul, maddrake." The Aged dragon declared.

"What?" Adpetis shouted, surprised.

Before the White dragoness could do anything else, Urobos swung his sword, slicing Adpetis's head from her body. The decapitated dragoness then fell over onto the ground, blood pouring from her neck.

Adpetis was no more.

URboso scooped up the egg off the ground and looked it over. It was the strangest egg he had ever seen.

Instead of being a solid color, the egg's shell seemed to be constantly flowing wiht energy, which shifted betwen the colors Black and White. The weighe of the egg also fluctuated, but by a matter of ounces.

"Strange." Urobos commented. He turned his gaze towards the weakened form of Amouris.

"Once I've found a safe haven for this egg, I shall return here, and your time on this land will come to an end."

"Do as you will." She stated coldly. "It matters not to me."

Urobos turned around and searched for Tina and Cyrus's hiding place.

"Senile old fool." Amouris commented.

The Purple dragoness looked up at the sky, and gasped.

Malefor's power was finally beginnnig to show its limits. He was being beaten left and right by a massive barrage of Physical and Magical blows, dealt to him by the enraged Spyro.

Eventually, Spyro blasted Malefor square in the chest with a mighty blast of Earth breath, which sent the Victimirtus hurtling towrds the ground.

Amouris gasped.

"No..." She said. "It's fine if **I** perish, but he must yet live!"

Spyroo came to a landing on the ground a few feet away from Malefor. The weakened Victiumiruts was struggling to get back onto his feet, with little success.

Spyro scowled down at his ancient fore, charging his magic for one final blast.

"This time, I'll finish you off for good." The Aged Purple dragon sneered. "Once Bain's body has been slain, your mind will be tossed into the very pits of the Underworld, where you belong!"

The crippled Malefor's demonic eyes became filled with fear.

"NO!" He shouted, struggling to crawl away.

Spyro unleashed his attack: A great and powerful Convexity blast.

"NOOO!"

Suddenly, before the blast could strke Malefor, a PUrple dragoness appeared in a cloud of smoke between hium and the attack.

It was Amouris.

The Purple dragoness took the attack that was meant for Malefor, full blast: she screamed in pain as a bloody hole was burned into her chest.

"What madness?" Spyro shouted, surprised.

"You?" Malefor asked incredulously.

"There's no time!" The dying dragoness shotued. She pointed a talon at Malefor, who's body suddenly became surrounded by a Purple mist. "Flee!"

"STOP!" Spyro commaneded, swinging a forepaw to strike Amouris in an attempt to halt her spell.

But he was too late: Malefor had disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

With the male Victiumitus gone, Amouris's head slumped onto the ground.

"Goodbye, my love." She said sadly.

"DAMN YOU!" Spyro roared. "I had almoost finally rid the world of that bastard of a dragon!"

"Just like you 'almost finally' got rid of him all those centuries ago?" Amouris asked. She chuckled.

"You are a failure, just like William was. You couldn't stop Malefor, Wiliam couldn't stop ME, and no one, especially not that boy Rune, will be able to stop Bergan when he summons The Nothing."

Spyro snarled.

"Are you going to kill me, old friend?" Amouris chided.

"Not yet..."

The Aged Purple dragon grabbed the dying Amouris by the nexk and lifted her into the air, looking her right in the eyes. He used his Water element to heal her owunds, but only enough to keep her life-force from faltering.

"I want answers." He said coldly.

"What doyou think there is for me to tell you, Spyro?" Amouris asked incredulously. "You already kjnow about Bergan's master-plan to summon The Nothing."

"Tell me: What **is** The Nothing?"

The Purple dragoness chuckled.

"Well, wouldn't YOU like to know!" She said, smirking. "It's a shame you don't already do, though; You've encountered it, after all."

"What are talking about?"

"Think back, Spyro; Do you remember the first time you entered the realm of Convexity?"

"Of course."

"Tell me: As you were traversing the many platforms to reach the alter at the center, did you happen to hear someone, or some_thing_, calling your name?"

Amouris leaned up so she could whisper into the Purple dragon's ear.

"Spyro..." She said quietly. "Spyro..."

As Amouris did this, Spyro thought back to his time in the realm of COnvexity. He remembered hearing an ancient, ethereal voice. A vcoice that sent chills down his spin when he heard it then, and it did so once again.

_**Spyro...**_

The Aged Purple dragon shook the memories away, refusing to allow fear to grip him yet again.

"You mean to tell me that the voice I heard belonged to this 'Nothing'?" He queried.

"Only one of many, old friend." The Purple dragoness replied. "Whether you believe me or not, you will find out for yourself very soon."

"What do you mean?" Spyro demanded.

"As we speak, Bergan is plannnig to bring The Nothing into the living world. All of the pieces have been set, Spyro: I'd wager that you have until nightfall left until this world comes to an end. Kill me if you want, old friend: It doesn't matter anymore."

With that said, the Victiumirtus laughed triumphantly. Spyro, enraged, used his talons to slice the dragoness's throat.

Amouris was now dead.

Spyro sighed solemnly, letting the dragoness's body fall to the floor.

"I must gather the Guardians, the Deep Shadows, and Urobos immediately." He stated. "We have little time to act."

...

Cynder and Roxanne stared at Nellie in utter disbelief.

She killed Rune. She actually KILLED the Black dragon

"They were the same person?" Roxanne asked incredulously, struggling to get up. "Rune and that Runefor guy had the same body?"

Cynder had healed herself to the point where she could stand again. She approached the Lightning dragoness and proceeded to heal her wounds. As she did this, she spoke to the Water dragoness.

"Are you alright, young one?" She asked, concerned.

Nellie remained stone-faced.

"I had to do it..." She said, trying to do away with emotion." It... it was the only way to stop Runefor."

"I know, Nellie." Cynder reassured. "Don't worry; your're not in trouble for it."

"Right..." Nellie said, fighting back tears. "There was no other... It had to..."

The Blue dragoness couldn't fight it anymofe. She collapsed onto the floor, clutching RUne's body and crying a waterfall of tears.

"I'm sorry, Rune!" She shouted out miserably. "I'm so sorry! I didn't want to do it, I swear! It was the only way I could think of to get rid of Runefor!"

Nellie roared in absolute sorrow. She hugged RUne's body close and kissed him several times.

"He can't hear you, young one. He has passed on to the Underworld."

"No! NOOO!"

"Nellie, calm down." Cynder stated, healing what remained of Roxanne's wounds. "Holding his corpse like that won't bring him back."

The Water dragoness lifted her head and looked over at the Black one.

"Can you revived him?" She asked, pleading. "Please... I want Rune back..."

Cynder shook her head.

"I'm not able to reve anyone for another four and a half years."

Nellie sobbed.

"But..." She said miserably. "But I don't want to be without him..."

"There's nothing I can do, young one." The Black dragoness stated solemnly. "I am sorry. **Rune belongs to the Underworld now."**

Nellie placed her head on top of Rune's continuing her crying. Roxanne got up onto her feet and watched. She cried as well, but not as badly as the Blue dragoness.

"Rune..."

Cynder sighed in pity.

"Poor boy." She said sadly. "He was an unfortunate pawn of fate."

The Yellow and Black dragonesses watched as the Blue one continued her sorrow, listening to her long for her beloved to return to life, to no avail.

But then, something unexpected happened. A low, malevolent chuckle started to fill the silence of the chamber.

And it was coming from Rune.

...

**Wow, this took forever! Sorry about the long wait, guys: I've had no internet for the longest time. I'll try to get the next chapter updated on tuesday, but no promises.**

**Tenebra ecce Veritas.**


	29. Act 3, Chapter 6

Act 3, Chapter 6

Nellie jumped back from the Black dragon's body in surprise.

"What the?" She Asked, afraid.

The Chuckling continued. Roxanne becaome frightned, while Cynder got on her guard.

"What in the world...?"

Suddenly, Rune's body started moving.

At first, it was only slight twitches. But then, Rune's limbs started moving to stand upright. As the Black dragon's head lifted upwards, the chuckling grew to a loud, maniacal laughter. As this happened, a Purple aura started radiating around the Black dragon's body.

"Ru...Rune?" Nellie stuttered, shivering with fright. "Is that you?"

The Black dragon opened his eyes, and the Blue dragoness cried out in horror. His eyes were Yellow and demonic, although eerily lifeless.

"Guess again, Sweethcheeks." The Black dragon said, grinning evilly.

It was Runefor.

Nellie took several steps back, horrified.

"N... No..." She stammered, shaking with fear. "It can't be! This isn't possible!"

"Isn't it?" Runefor chided. "I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

Cynder snarled.

"How did you survive?" She demanded.

"Techically," The younger Black dragon said, turning to glance at Cynder, "I didn't. Not in the usual sense, at least."

Runefor reached up with a forepaw and grabbed the sword hilt, which was still rammed through his blood-caked chest. He proceeded to pull it out of himself with great force. At first, it wouldn't come out: It was stuck in his organs. So, the black dragon gave the sword a harder, faster yank. With a hideous tearing sound, the blood-soaked sword caome right out of RUnefor's chest, leaving a large, hideous hole in his body that revealed the organs within him. A Red, slimy, rotund organ was impaled on the sword's tip.

His Heart.

Nellie and Roxanne backed away in disgust as Runefor proceeded to remove the heart from the sword.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He said, frowning with disappointment. "this body's going to fall to pieces."

"That's disgusting!" Roxanne shouted.

"What are you, demon?" Cynder roared. "How is it you still inhabit Rune's body?"

"I suppose I owe you all an explanation, don't I?" Runefor said casually. "Well, I might as well. But first..."

The Black dragon snapped his talons. An instant later, two giant walls of Purple fire apeared, separating Runefor and Nellie from Roxanne and Cynder. The Black dragoness tried to blow the flames away with her Wind breath, but she failed.

"DAMNATION!" She bellowed.

"Now then, to beging explaining..." Ruenfor said. "As has been said before, Rune and I have two, independent minds. But that's not **all** that was separate."

"What do you mean?" Nellie asked.

"A good six months ago, I went up to Bergan and struck a deal of sorts with him: I would help him deal with interlopers, such as Cynder here, and he would separate my mind from Rune's soul, which I had to share beforehand."

"You no longer have a soul?" Roxanne queried.

"Correct. Of course, I needed to keep anyone from finding out too soon, so Bergan and I put on an elaborate charade, making it look like our intentions were to abduct poor Nellie and hold her hostage. I also tricked Rune into providing this sword to Tyrrany, who unwittingly slipped into a blind rage and accidentally murdered our 'beloved' mother, who had flown into a trap."

"So, Tyrrany was telling the truth." Cynder stated, through still enraged at Runefor. "In any case, explain how you stand before us!"

"Right, right. Anyway, when Nellie had the guts to kill Rune, his mind and soul were sent hurtling down to the Underworld. However, since **my** mind wasn't connected to the soul, I stayed right here, with the body. So, in a way, I'm not dead, but I'm not _alive_ either. Similar to Malefor's current position."

"So, you have reduced yourselt to nothing more than a lingering mass of sentient energy." Cynder stated disapprovingly. "At the very least, Rune can finally be at peace knowing that you are no longer a part of him."

"Funny you should mention him..." Runefor replied. He glanced over at Nellie, who stepped even further away from the Black dragon. A smirk spread across Runefor's face.

"Say, Nellie..." He began, stepping towards her. "Would you like to see Rune again?"

The Black dragon lifted the sword, preparing to strike. Nellie gasped.

"NO!" She screamed fearfully. "Get away from me!"

Cynder frantically tried to break through the wall of flames, to no avail.

"Nellie, run!" She shouted.

"There's no where for her TO run." Runefor said gleefully.

The Blue dragoness mustered all of her energy to strike with a blast of Ice breath in a last-ditch effort to defend herself. howerver, RUnefor opened his mouth and destroyed the ice with a mighty burst of Fire breath. the male dragon then punched Nellie across the face, knocking her to the floor.

"Please..." Nellie begged, completely frozen in fear. "Don't do it..."

"I have no more use for an obnixious little bitch like YOU." Runefor said coldly.

Roxanne tried to break through the flames with her Lightning breath, but her attacks did nothing.

"Nellie!"

"Runefor, don't..." Nellie pleaded, tears flowing from her eyes. "Don't kill me.. Please..."

"Goodbye, Sweetcheeks." Runefor stated.

The Black dragon ran the sword through Nellie's chest, impaling her heat. She screamed in agony as the cold blade impaled her flesh and organs. not a moment later, the blue dragoness was gagging on her own blood.

Nellie had one final look at Runefor's evil gaze as blood flowed from her wound and mouth and onto the floor.

The Blue dragoness's head fell over onto the ground.

"NELLIE!" Roxanne screamed in horror.

Nellie's hearing slowly started to drop to absolute deafness. Everything became blistering cold to the touch. Her vision became fuzzier and fuzzier, until everything turned black.

Soon, the dragoness felt as though she was falling.

Falling... into an eternal black abyss.

The Blue dragoness was dead.

...

As soon as Nelie hit the floor, Runefor drew his sword out of her body, an air of satisfaction around him.

"Well then, I'd love to stay and chat," He said, "but I've got places to go. I'll be needing a new body, and I've got just the one in mind."

He turned around and bowed his head to the other two dragonesses.

"Rox, Cynny, I bid you adieu."

With that said, the Black dragon snapped his talons, and vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke.

The Purple flames vanished as soon as Runefor was gone. Roxanne and Cynder immediately ran over to Nellie's body.

"By the Ancestors!" The Yellow dragoness shouted. She grabbed hold of Nelie's body and proceeded to wipe the blood from her face and chest.

Cynder looked down at the Blue dragoness and sighed solemnly.

"The poor girl." She said. "She didn't deserve this."

"She can't be dead!" Roxanne protested. "She's barely even **my** age!"

"Stand aside, young one." Cynder commanded.

Roxanne did as she was told, and the Black dragoness lifted Nelie's body up onto her back.

"We must return to Glenhaven and show her family what's become of her." Cynder stated. "It will be painful for all of us, but it must be done."

"What about Runefor?" Roxanne shouted. "We've got to pay him back for this!"

"Now is not the time." Cynder stated. The Black dragoness removed the Jade necklace that still hung around Nellie's neck after all this time.

"What are you going to do with that?" The youner dragoness asked.

"it belongs to either Seraph or Urobos now." Cynder answered. "But enough of that. Come..."

"Yes, ma'am." Roxanne said sadly.

With nothing else to do in the cave, the dragonesses left via a portal of Dark energy.

...

The city of Glenhaven was a wreck.

It was the middle of the evening. All of the fighting had finally come to an end. The Corrupted dragons were either dead or rendered incapable of fighting, and all of the Crepsculi had been vanquished.

However, the victory was noth without its price. Many bold Dragons and Nondragons had lost their lives defending the city and the slain Corrupted dragons had shrunken down to their original sizes. On top of all that, many of the city's builldings own torn to pieces during the battle. The sight of the battle's aftermath was not as horrific as the one in Warfang, but it was still painful to look upon in its own right.

All over the city, the surviving citizens were doing their part to clean up the wreckage left in the battle's wake. Many dead bodies were ferried off to the Grasslands, while the injured survivors were sent to one of the make-shift infirmaries.

As this happened, Miimet, Spyro, Jules, Voden, Hontus, Grail, Aegis, and Elza were all sitting just before the remains of the Glenhaven Palace, arranged in a circle around Cynder and Seraph. The air was filled with the overpowering roars of sorrow, which came from the Water dragoness.

A few moments ago, Roxanne and the Black dragoness arrived in a cloud of smoke. Cynder sent the younger dragoness to the infirmaries, while she herself presented Nellie's body to the others. When Hontus saw the teenaged dragoness's lifeless form, he burst into tears at the revelation of the loss of his daughter. Seraph, howerver, was comptletely despair-stricken tsee what had become of Nellie.

Not a single other dragon said a word. Even Elza, who had a long-lasting grudge against Seraph, held her head low in respect for the grieving woman.

Ever since Rune and Nellie had gone missinge six months ago, Seraph had been worried sick about the two young dragons. Not a day went by for her without fearing for their well-being. But now, her worst fear had come to life.

"How did this happen?" Seraph demanded, her eyes red from her tears. "Who killed my daughter?"

"Nellie was slain by a Yellow-eyed monster."

Cynder answered solemnly. "It was the same monster who possessed Rune's body four years ago."

"Where **is** Rune?" Hontus asked.

Cynder sighed.

"The boy is dead as well." She said sadly. "His Spirit is now in the Underworld, along with Nellie's."

"No..." Seraph stuttered, shaking in horror. "They can't BOTH be dead!"

"I am sorry, Seraph, but it is the truth."

The Blue dragoness scooped her daughter's body up in her forlegs, still crying miserably. She used her Water element to cleans the blood from Nellie's scales and seal the large whole in her chest.

"My poor little girl..." Seraph said to her daughter. "You were so young. You and Rune were supposed to live on for decades to come. But now, you're gone."

Hontus walked towards his grieving mate and draped one of his wings around her.

"Don't write her off as gone, love." He said soothingly. "Nellie can be brought back."

"What are you talking about, Hontus?" Seraph asked, turning to face him.

"Don't you remember that ritual?" The Red dragon replied. "All we have to do is relieve Bergan of control of the Pit of the Fallen, and then we can use the revival ritual to bring Rune and Nellie back to life."

"I'm afraid it's more difficult than you may believe, Hontus." Grail stated.

"Why is that?" Hontus demanded.

"It's loathsome for me to admit it, but Bergan is a very powerful dragon. Whenever any of us have gone up against him in the past, not a single one of us has been able to even lay a talon on him. The only exception was Wraith, and he's currently too weak to fight."

"And it's not just Bergan we face." Elza added. "We also have to deal with Malefor, the Victiumirti, the remaining Corrupted dragons, and countless Crepsculi."

"The Corrupted dragons can be dealt with," Urobos stated. "Spyro and I can remove their corruption."

"Furthermore," Spyro added, "even if Malefor still lives, he has been heavilly weakened during the day's battle. He will need time to recover. Time which neither he or any of us have enough of."

"What makes you say that, Milord?" Mimet asked.

"Just before I killed her, Amouris revealed that Bergan is going to summon The Nothing into the Dragon Realms **tonight**."

The dragons in the area muttered amongst themselves nervously.

"She must've been lying." Grail declared. "She must've only been trying to scare us so we'll do something foolish in our haste."

"No." Spyro responded. "The woman knew she was fated to die, and thus didn't care whether we knew or not."

"What should we do, then?" Aegis asked.

"I may not know who or what this 'Nothing' is," Cynder answered, "but if Bergan's ultimate plan involves another Great Cleansing, then I know that Glenhaven is no longer safe."

"What makes you believe that?" Mimet asked.

"In the past few months," Spyro began again, "several regions of our world have been reduced to ashes one by one. If the upcoming Great Cleansing is anythihng like the one that Malefor brought about all that time ago, then it is safe to say that all that is remaining of the Dragon Realms shall be utterly destroyed in a great storm of Fire."

For a long time, a great silence fell about the Guardians and Deep Shadows. The thought of the entire world breaking apart was a hard one to comprehend.

"If that is the case," Mimet said solemnly, "Then we need to evacuate the city and flee to a place furthest away from the Pit of the Fallen as posisble. At least then, we can have plenty of time for the citizens to escape being consumed by flames, and we can send the best of us to deal with Bergan and Malefor."

"I second that." Urobos stated.

"As do I," Spyro added.

The Guardians and Deep Shadows all proceeded to sound their agreement.

"But where should the citizens go?" Cynder asked.

Another great silence came. All of the dragons started to think about a possible place for the citizens to flee to.

A moment later, a young dragon's voice cried out nearby.

"Lady Cynder!"

"Hmm?" The Black dragoness was surprised.

In a few seconds, all of the adult dragons saw two young dragons and a green dragonfly running up to them.

Flame, Arthur, and Tyrrany.

The three teenagers slowed their run to a walk as they approached the large group. When the adults laid their eyes on the White dragoness, most of them gasped in surprise.

"It's HER!" Elza bellowed angrilly.

"The she-beast who murdered Lady Elenar!" Grail added, just as furious.

Tyrrany's eyes filled with fear.

"Please, listen to me." She protested, her voice quivering. "I didn't-"

Immediately, Elza and Grail turned around to charge at the White dragones, intending to subdue her. However, Flame jumped in their path, snarling with rage.

"Stand aside, boy!" Elza sneered angrilly.

"Don't lay a paw on her!" Flame spat through gritted fangs.

"So, you AREN'T to be trusted!" Grail snapped. "Fine by me!"

The Dark Grey dragon prepared to tackle the younger dragon, while Elza charged up a blast of Wind breath. Flame, meanwhile, charged up his Fire breath.

However, before any of them could attack, Cynder suddenly appeared between them all in a cloud of Black smoke.

"STAND DOWN!" The dragoness bellowed angrilly. "ALL OF YOU!"

Immediately, the three dragons stopepd what they were doing, surprise and fear in their eyes.

"Hope is Elenar's daughter and eldest child." Cynder declared to the Deep Shadows. "By the ancient law of the Dark Dragon clans put forth by myself, Hope is your Princess, and you are to respect her as such."

"She is no princess." Grail spat. "She is a traitor. She betrayed Lady Elenar, and killed her!"

"Eleanr's murder was not intentional." Cynder snapped.

"What?" Elza asked.

"Quite recently, it was made clear to me that Bergan tricked Hope into flying into a frenzy. As the young dragoness was in a mad dash, Elenar picked an unfortunate time to land in the Pit of the Fallen, and was mistaken for another enemy. Hope didn't realize who she was fighting until she was too late."

"How can you possibly know that?" Grail demanded. The Black dragoness glared at the Deep Shadow.

"You question the word of The Great Shadow?" She sneered.

"N-NO! Not at all!"

As this was happening, Urobos walked up to Tyrrany, who stood watching the Aged Black dragon as he approached. The King looked down at the White dragoness with satisfaction in his eyes.

"I was worried that you truly were as horribly as your father." Urobos began. "But, there was nothing for me to worry about, and I am thankful than that."

Tyrrany smiled up at the Aged dragon.

"Thank you, your highness."

"I've told you before, and I'll say it again; you may call me Grandfather."

Suddenly, Spyro cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention.

"I don't mean to be rude," He stated, "but time is of the essence. What have you three children come to us for?"

The White dragoness sighed.

"I came with the hopes of having my name clreared of the charge of murdering my mother," She answered solemnly, "as well as to ask for aid."

"Aid?" Mimet asked. "A White dragoness, asking for aid? Whatever for?"

A few tears escaped Tyrrany's eyes.

"My son has been kidnapped, and I need help to rescue him."

"Son?" Elza asked.

Tyrrany spent a few moments explaining everything about Denzel, from his hatching, to how he was abducted by a Black dragon named Zevron. Flame pitched in to help when the dragoness needed it. Spyro and Cynder seemed especially interested in the Black dragon.

"Zevron?" Cynder asked. "Are you absolutely sure that was his name?"

"I'm absolutely positive." Flame said. "He claimed to be the son of Malefor, but he might have been lying."

"He most certainly was not." Spyro declared.

"Huh?"

"Let us just say that we have run into that dragon a long time ago." Cynder stated. "I would not have expected Bergan to revive **him**."

"In any case, you said that Zevron kidnapped Denzel to use him as leverage to force you into serving Malefor." Spyro added. "Is that correct?"

"Yes..." Tyrrany said sadly. "Will you help me rescue him?"

"Of course, young one." Urobos answered.

"So, we now have another enemy to face." Mimet stated. "This is most troubling. Plus, we still need to find a suitable location to send the civilians."

"I have an idea." Flame declared. "Send them to Dante's Holocaust."

"What?" Seraph shouted.

"Why would you recommend a desolate wasteland like that?" Aegis snapped.

"Because there's a stronghold sitting there, perfect for people to reside in." The young Fire dragon replied. "Temporarily, at least."

"How do you know this?" Grail asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Because my father told me earlier today. He knows the exact location of the stronghold. You can have him lead everyone there, if you wish."

"How do we know you're not lying, boy?" Mimet demanded.

"You think I'd lie at a time like THIS?" Flame snapped. "What could I possibly gain! The world's about to end, damnit!"

"Both of you, settle down." Cynder stated. "At a time like this, beggars can't be choosers."

The Black dragoness pointed a talon at Aegis and Elza, respectively.

"I want you two to go to the prison and bring Anthony here. We'll need his aid to find Dante's Holocaust."

"As you wish, milady." The two said in unison.

Mimet ws the next one to speak.

"As long as we're going with this plan, I want the Guardians, and the rest of the Deep Shadows, to organize the civilians and have them prepare to leave. Make sure thaty they bring only the bare essentials."

"Yes, your highness." The Guardians and Grail said.

"In the meantime," Urobos continued, "I believe that Spyro, Cynder and I should prepare to leave for the Pit of the Fallen."

"Aye." Spyro agreed. "We need to put a stop to Bergan once and for all."

"Take me with you." Tyrrany pleaded. "I want to rescue my son."

"I want to go, too." Flame exclaimed. "I want to teach that Bergan bastard a lesson for crippling my father. Plus, Denzel's **my** son, too; I should do my part to save him."

"That's very noble of you." Cynder replied. "You two are welcome to join us."

"Thank you, ma'am." The two young dragons said in unison.

"Your welcome, young ones." The Black dragoness replied, smiling. She turned towards Urobos and Spyro. "When shall we depart?"

"In a short while." Urobos answered.

"Why is that?" Spyro asked.

"I need to find Cyrus and Tina. There's something... difficult that I need to explain to them."

"I see..." The Purple dragons said, frowning. "Well then, take your time. We shall wait for you."

With that said, all of the dragons dispereced to attend to their assigned jobs. The Guardians and Deep Shadows left to rally the citizens, while Hontus, Seraph, and Mimet left to give Nellie a proper funeral. Urobos, meanwhile, left fo find his grandson and the young Dark Yellow dragoness.

The matter would be difficult to explain indeed

...

Rune was curled up in a ball on a small floating platfrom, which floated weightlessly in an eerie green void filled to the brim with an nearly endless number of spirits. He could hear some of the spirits moaning on farther parts of the void. The young Black dragon, however, didn't make a sound.

_So this is it_, he thought.

After all these years, Rune was finally dead. After all this time, he was paying for the crimes he believed to be responsible for, even if his other half commited them. And for a full circle of justice, Nellie, the one dragoness who's suffered most of all because of his deeds, was the one to kill him.

Rune didn't care. He deserved it, after all that he allowed to happen to the girl. At the very least, Runefor was finally gone. The Blue dragoness was finally free of the White demon's torment.

For now, and for the rest of time, Rune would be stuck here. Surrounded by tens of thousands of spirits, but completely alone.

The Black dragon chuckled to himself, defeated.

"I deserve this." He said solemnly. "After all the things that I've allowed to happen to the dragon race, my death was warranted for a long time. And now, here I am."

Rune looked over his forepaws. Instead of being the solid, Midnight-Black they had always been, they were now transparent.

"I'm not a real dragon anymore. I'm only a spirit. There's nothing else left for me anymore. All I can do now is lay here for the rest of time."

Rune curled up tighter and shut his eyes.

"I can't even sleep anymore. Not that I'll ever need it again."

The Black dragon sighed, and just listened calmly to the countless moans and groans of the many spirits in the distance...

But then, a scream filled the void. A familiar-sounding scream. Rune immediately bolted upright.

"What is that?" He asked, alarmed.

There was another scream, this time louder.

"It almost sounds like..."

Rune lifted himself up onto his feet and looked in the scream's direction. He spread his now-ethereal wings and took off into flight.

_I've got to find out who that is._

Rune flew as fast as he could through the great green abyss, fast approaching the source of the screaming. More often than not, he had to dodge around some other spirits who were floating past him.

Eventually, Rune arrived at the massive stone wall that served as the interior dome of the nigh-impossibly sized Underworld. The Black dragon was floating a short distance away from one of the great openings in the wall that led up to the Dragon Realms. It wasn't as large as teh one that was the Pit of the Fallen, ut it was still enourmous nonetheless.

The young dragon could hear someone sreaming as they fell closer and closer to the Underworld. Soon, they were almost at the entrance.

_Here they come. Please, don't let it be..._

As Rune waited, several great ghosts flew into his view from the sides, as if to block his path.

"_Your time in the living world has ended._" One of the ghosts said.

"I'm not trying to leave." Rune said to them. "I'm only waiting to see who's coming in."

"_That had best be the truth._" Another ghost remarked.

A few moments later, a dragoness came sreaming through the entrance. Rune's eyes lit up in horror.

It was Nellie.

"No..." Rune stammered.

After a moment, the Blue dragoness, her hide now transparent, struggled to right herself. The swarm of ghosts fluew up along the passageway and completely covered it, preventing anyone from traveling through. Nellie looked around, completely frightened almost out of her wits. She looked around, trying to make sense of everything.

"Why am I here?" She asked, upset. "I shouldn't be here! It's not fair! I don't deserve **this**! I don't-!"

Suddenly, Nellis spotted Rune floating a short distance away. The dragoness gasped in surprise.

"Rune...?" She asked.

The Black dragon looked back at her, completely despair-stricken to see Nellie, the one person he loved most of all, floating in the Underworld, just as dead as him. He started to cry.

"This can't be.." He said, backing away from Nellie. "Of all the people..."

"Rune, is it really you?" The dragoness asked, floating closer.

The Black dragon turned completely around and flew away, much to Nellie's surprise.

"Rune, wait! Please!" Nellie exclaimed, pleading. Rune refused to answer: He couldn't even bring himself to look at her.

For the past six months, Rune could only watch helplessly as Runefor defiled Nellie. Everything that the White dragon did, eveytime he forced himself upon her, was Rune's fault entirely. And now, through some trick of fate, Nellie was dead. The girl's blood was on the Black dragon's paws.

Eventually, the two dragons flew around in the ring of floating platforms surrounding the Crystal Core of the world: The place that had been Malefor's prison for centuries. As Rune and Nellie dodged around several of the giant hunks of stone in their haste, Nellie spotted a fork up ahead: both paths lead to the same place. So, after Rune chose one side of the fork, Nellie swerved towards the other one. She then immediately flew around the rock formation as fast as she could.

A moment later, she was facing towards Rune.

Before the Black dragon could react, Nellie charged fowards in the air and tackled him. The two dragons then went hurtling through the open space of the abyss and crashed down on one of the many smaller platforms.

Rune struggled to escape from Nellie, but the dragoness held on tightly to the Black dagon's torso, refusing to release him.

"Let go of me!" Rune shouted.

"Rune, listen to me! PLEASE!" Nellie shouted hysterically. "I'M SORRY!"

Instantly, the Black dragon stopped struggling. He looked down at her, confused.

"What?" He asked. The Blue dragoness released her grip on the Black dragon.

"I'm sorry I killed you, Rune." Nellie said solemnly, tears in her eyes. "I only did it because I thought it would free you from Runefor's control! I SWEAR! Don't hate me for it! Please don't!" Rune looked directly into the Blue dragoness's tear-filled eyes.

"I don't hate you, Nellie." He said reassuringly. "I never have, and I never will."

"You..." The dragoness stammered, wiping tears from her eyes. "You forgive me?"

"There's nothing to be forgiven." The Black dragon replied. "I was meant to die a long time ago, before Runefor even existed. But in any case, that demon's finally gone, and I'm finally dead. It's over now."

Nellie bent her head low.

"He's not gone." Nellie stated, feeling ashamed..

Rune's eyes lit up in shock.

"What?"

"Runefor's still alive. Well, he's not _alive_, but he's still around."

"No..." Rune stuttered. "That can't be!"

"It's true." She responded. "He's currently inhabiting your old body. He ate his own heart, and then he killed me."

Rune gasped in shock.

"He... He's the one who did this to you?" He stammered. Nellie nodder head, crying.

"Yes."

The Black dragon was horrified. He bent his head low in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Nellie." He said solemly.

"For what, Rune?"

"For everything. Everything that's ever happened to you is because of me. Even after my death, I'm still the indirect cause of your suffering. I never should have pursued you all that time ago. Things would have been better if we never even met at all."

Rune sat on his haunches, crying a river of tears.

"I'm so sorry."

Nelllie wrapped her forelegs around the Black dragon.

"It's alright." She said. "I love you, Rune. I always have. I don't blame you for anything that's happened to me: Runefor is the one responcible for what's happened, not you. He's a horrible person, but you're the sweetest, most kind-hearted dragon I've ever met. You made me the happiest dragoness in the Dragon Realms when I became your girlfriend, and I looked forward to the day when I'd become your mate."

"How could that possibly happen now?" Rune asked. "We're dead: We'll never reach adulthood."

"It doesn't matter: All I want to do is spend the rest of time with you... If you'll have me."

Rune calmed down a little.

"Of course." He said, smiling slightly. "You're all that I have left. I don't want to toss you away."

Nellie pulled Rune closer to her and placed her head beneath his chin.

"We may be dead, but at least we're finally together again. Plus, we're able to avoid suffering when the Great Cleansing begins."

"I guess so..."

The two young dragons held each other in a loving embrace. This was the first time they were able to do this in over six months: Runefor was no longer there to keep them separated. This alone was more than enough to help them cope with being separated from their friends and family.

They were happy.

However, after a few moments of their embrace, a strange, ethereal voice spoke out to them.

"_We are sorry, young dragons, but you cannot stay here._"

The two young dragons lifted their heads and looked around themselves, completely cuaght off-guard.

"Who's there?" Nellie asked, frightened.

A moment later, everal large spirits appeared out of the abyss. They surrounded the two young dragons and floated before them. Each of the spirits gave them an eerie gaze.

The Blue dragoness stood beside Rune, scared of waht the spirits might do to them.

"_There is no time for you to be embracing your beloved, Rune._" One of the floating spirits stated.

"_There is much you need to learn about, and little time to learn it in._" Another one said.

"Who are you?" Rune asked.

"_We are, as your people have come to call us, The Ancient Spirits._"

"The Ancient Spirits?" Rune repeated, shocked.

"_Yes, young one._" A third spirit answered.

"Why have you come before us?" Nellie asked, still trying to hide behind Rune. "What have we done wrong?"

"_You have done nothing wrong, young dragons._" The Fourth spirit reassured. "_The both of you have been forced through great hardship, and taken from life before your time._"

"_We are going to restore the two of you to life._"

Nellie's eyes glowed with surprise.

"R.. Really?" The dragoness asked.

"_Of course, young one._"

"You're going to restore _me_, too?" Rune asked. "But... I'm the dragon responcible for the destruction of The Hive. I caused my mother's death. Twice! I ended the lives of hundreds of other beings as well, and have caused the destruction of a great many parts of the world! Everything would have been better if I had never been born!"

Nellie and the Ancient Spirits just looked at the Black dragon.

"Rune..." The dragoness crooned.

"_You are wrong, young dragon._" One of the spirits said.

Rune became confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"_You are not the same Black dragon as the one that was born as the son of Bane and Elenar; You are only half of him, and the being known as Runefor is the other half._"

What are you talking about?" Nellie demanded.

"_Long ago, when Bane and Elenar had two sons, they named one Cyrus, and the other Rune. Rune was named after his Great Grandafther Runileon the Wicked, in an attempt by his mother to spite his curse on the Aries clan bloodline. For seven years, Rune grew up as a normal dragon cub. But then came the day when he met several of a group called the Darkstalkers._"

"There's no need to repeat that to me." Rune stated. "I already know what happened next: I was tricked into revealing the existance of The Hive, and the floating city was destroyed, along with the lives of hundreds of Dark dragons. Why bring this up again?"

"_When The Hive's destruction came about, you were devastated, correct?_"

"Well, yes."

"_Because you blamed yourself for the deaths of so many dragons, you couldn't bear to cause any more suffering to any other living being, even to creatures considered as a foodsouce by the dragon race. Furthermore, because you feared judgement for your past deeds, you tried your best to be as well-behaved as possible, so that no one would ever wish to punish you for anything. When people showed you love and kindness, you appreciated it, even if you kept secrets from them._"

"_However, part of you still feared confrontation and punishment. You believed that it wasn't fair that you had to take the blame for the deaths of hundreds. You were hostile towards anyone who seemed to come into your life to pass judgement over your sins, and you fled from them or tried to push you away. You wished for the power to make them go away, so that you didn't have to be afraid anymore._"

Rune sat down on his haunches, amazed. The Spirits seemed to be peering directly into the young dragon's mind and reciting every little thing he regretted.

Nellie looked at him, concerned.

"Rune, are you okay?"

"I..." He didn't know what to say.

"_For a good five years, your frusterated side stayed dormant inside your mind, only able to manifest in short bursts here and there across the year. But then came the day when Malefor became able to use your inner power against you to manipulate you._"

"You mean the influence he placed inside me when I was revived the first time, right?" Rune asked. He hadn't forgotten what Cynder had told him that day in Warfang.

"_Correct. Malefor used his influence to plague your mind with nightmares about your mother killing you for supposedly betraying her. After that day, when you were traveling north to Mount Erebus, Malefor's influence grew stronger. As this happened, so did your frusterated side's desire for magical power. During the attempt to revive your mother, Malefor's energy was forced out of him and into you, thus granting your other side the power it desired for so long. As a result, it started behaving on its own, though was still a part of you. And then, when you absorbed Malefor completely, that frusterated side of you finally broke apart and became its own person._"

"Runefor."

"_From that day on, your mind and Runefor's mind shared the same soul and existed in the same body, which you switched control of from time to time. But six months ago, Runefor managed to convince Bergan to separate his mind from your soul, but left it bound to your body. Now that you have died, Rune, the divide between you and Runefor has been made complete: You and Runefor are one being no longer._"

"You mean... you don't believe I'm guilty?"

"_Everything Runefor has done is on his own paws, not yours, Rune._"

Rune sat down on his haunches, amazed. Nellie did the same.

"You see, Rune?" She askd. "You're not Runefor; You don't have to pay for his crimes."

"_Unfortunately, even if Rune is not guilty, he must still do his part to stop Runefor, Bergan, and Malefor before The Nothing is brought into the Dragon Realms._"

"What IS The Nothing?" Nellie asked.

"_The Nothing is an ancient and terrible force of evil. Countless ages ago, when the Dragon Race was brought into existence, The Nothing was created as wel. It sought to take over the Dragon Realms, and recreate them according to its own will. However, it couldn't enter into the world properly: It had no physical form. So, it created scores of avatars, tiny fragments of its own power, and sent them into the Dragon Realms to slaughter the dragons that stood in its way. Those avatars took on the form of dragons with Hides of Purple, the color of the energy known as Convexity._"

"So The Nothing created the Purple dragons?" Rune asked.

"_Yes. A great war lasted between the Purple and Nonpurple dragons, but eventually, the Nonpurples won the day through their superior numbers. With The Nothing's forces defeated, the dragon Elders of the time used their powers to split The Nothing's power across multiple plains of existence: Its two sources of power, Convexity and Nothingness, were sent to the Realm of Convexity and the Underworld, respectively._"

"_Unfortunately, The Nothing was not completely defeated. It used its Convexity energy to infect the DNA of the dragon race, making it so that a Purple dragon would be born once every ten generations. At first, the dragon race stood on its guard, swearing to kill any Purple dragon born so The Nothing could never take over its body and enact its will. however, as time marched on, the vendetta against the Purple dragons was forgotten, and replaced with the belief that they were destined for great things._"

"_Every century or so, a Purple draogn would be born, and be treated as a great boon for the dragon race. The first one revered was Lucrun, and a later one was Desysto._"

"Those are two of the Victiumirti!" Rune shouted.

"_Correct. The Nothing took control of them both, using its influence to corrupt their minds. They both came close to bringing about an event known as The Great Cleansing, with Desysto being more successful. Desysto's Destroyer almost brought the world to ruin with the Ring of Annhilation, but when he was defeated, the world was restored, and The Destroyer was buried away. This event cauded the world to enter a Second Age, with the laws of magic being altered in an attempt to prevent The Nothing from reaching its goals._"

"So when Spyro and Cynder started a New Age, it wasn't the first time it happened." Nellie stated.

"_For the longest time after Desysto's defeat, there were no Purple dragons born, and the world forgot about them. But then came the dragon named Malefor, who was even more powerful than previous Purple dragons. He was corrupted as well, but gained the ability to force others to bend to his will, as you're very familiar with. When Spyro came to be, The Nothing attempted to currupt him in turn, and nearly succeeded several times, but ulitmately failed._"

"Why?" Rune asked.

"_Spyro grew to love the dragoness known as Cynder. He put her above all else, and though he didn't say it out loud for a long time, came to devote his entire being to ensuring her survival._"

"So... the power of Love prevented him from being corrupted?" Nellie asked skeptically.

"_Do not scoff the force known as Love, young dragoness. It is one of two powerful forces of nature, its equal and opposite being Hate. Both forces are the two greatest emotional extremes that a being can feel, and both will drive a being to do things it wouldn't normally do. Lucrun, Desysto, and Malefor all felt a deep-seated hatred for the dragon race, as did Amouris, Adpetis and Runileon. When Spyro and Cynder faced Malefor, they did not have the power to defeat him. That's when we stepped in to seal the Evil Purple dragon away, and Spyro used his powers as a Purple draogn to save the world, thus starting the Third Age of the Dragon race._"

"_After that, it was made that all Purple dragons born after Spyro would be unable to wield Convexity, thus preventing The Nothing from corrupting them. However, the dragoness Amouris found a way to travel to the Realm of Convexity, and learned to harness the energy in the form of Crystal shards, thus allowing The Nothing to manipulate her. After she and her puppet Chrisala were defeated, and the White dragons were brought into existance, The Nothing found that they had Convexity energy, and was able to corrupt them the same way it corrupted Purple dragons._"

"_Adpetis was corrupted, as was Runileon, but both of them failed to bring about The Great Cleansing. And then, Bergan came to be. Unlike the past Purple dragons, Bergan discovered The Nothing's existance, and began to enact its bidding willingly, without being completely corrupted. He conceived of a plan to resurrect the past Victiumirti so that The Nothing's summoning could be enacted in far less time._"

"And now, Bergan's about to succeed." Rune stated solemnly.

"_Yes. And Runefor is planning to intervene, so that he can steal The Nothing's power for himself._"

"Why are you telling us all of this?" The Black dragon asked. "What can we possibly do?"

"_As a Black dragon of the new age, you have access to all twelve elements, as well as Convexity energy. You must use your power to put a stop to Bergan, Malefor and Runefor before any of them succeed. That is your duty. Do you understand, young dragon?_"

"I... I understand." Rune said.

"What about me?" Nellie asked.

"_You do not have to aid Rune, if you don't desire to. You may flee to safety, and leave the Black dragon to fight his own battle._"

The Blue dragoness frowned angrilly, and grabbed Rune's forepaw.

"No." She said blankly. "I'm not about to leave Rune alone. He needs me, just as I need him."

Rune blushed.

"_As you wish, young dragoness. Stand perfectly still, both of you._"

Rune and Nellie stood close together and shut their eyes. The Ancient Spirits created orbs of energy and infused them with the young dragons. As they slowly became engulfed in Light, the Spirits said one final thing to them.

"_We will try our best to guide you to victory, but even those as Ancient as us have our limitations. Good luck, young dragons._"

And with that, thetwo young dragons vanished.

...

The Pit of the Fallen.

A great Green light continuously shined brightly out of the Pit and into the Night sky. The Elders' Palace and The Nexus floated weigthlessly in the air, side by side. Countless corrupted dragons patrolled the crater, continuously searching for invaders.

Far off on the outside boarder of the Crater, the Black dragon Zevron stood before the unconscious form of Malefor. The Purple hatchling lay asleep by Zevron's feet, placed under a magic spell to put an end to his crying.

"Father..." The Black dragons aid, trying to wake the Purple one. "FATHER!"

Soon, Malefor opened his tired yellow eyes and stood up on his feet.

"Where... am I?" He demanded.

"We're just outside of the Pit of the Fallen, father." Zevron declared. "I've been healing your wounds with my Convexity energy and waiting for you to awaken, so that I may show you the boon I have come across."

"Elaborate."

Zevron lifted the hatchling off the ground and presented him to Malefor.

"I have managed to capture the White dragonesses's child." The Black dragon said proudly.

"WHAT?" The Purple dragon roared.

Malefor slashed his son across the face, causing Zevron to yelp in surprise and pain.

"You imbecile!" The Victiumirtus snarled. "You were only to keep an eye on the girl, not steal her offspring!"

"I only did what seemd necessare at the time, father!" Zevron protested, healing his wound. "The girl was refusing to agree to your terms, so I took the boy so that she would be froced to concede!"

"I planned for her to be loyal to me WILLINGLY!" MAlefor snarled. "Now, she will have a vendetta against us!"

Zevron lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, father." He said shamefully.

"It's too late for apologies, boy." Malefor sneered. "But, we will deal with this matter at a later date." The Purple dragon turned his head towards the Pit of the Fallen.

"For now, we must deal with bergan and this 'Nothing' he's doing the bidding of. I will not have him steal away the world that is supposed to belong to me. Come; we must put an end to his meddling once and for all."

"Yes, father."

Malefor spread his wings and took off for the Pit. Zevron scooped up the hatchling and followed his fahter.

Little time remained for the Dragon Realms.


	30. Act 3, Chapter 7

Act 3, Chapter 7

Bergan stood on the edge of the platform in the Pit of the Fallen, looking upwards at the night sky, a grin on his face. Richard the dragonfly floated a short distance away from him, an uneasy expression on his face.

_It won't be long, now._ He thought to himself. _Just a little more time left..._

Soon, very soon, the time for the final phase of Bergan's plan would be at hand. After almost a lifetime of waiting, watching and planning, The Golden-maned dragon would unleash the greatest force of power in the Dragon Realms.

"Sir," Richard began, "I'm beginning to think we shouldn't be here when it begins."

Bergan didn't answer.

"Sir?"

Still no responcce. The Golden-maned dragon continued eyeing the sky.

A moment later, Bergan heard two dragons come to a landing behind him. He chuckled.

"Greetings, Bergan." One of them said coldly.

It was Malefor.

"Ah, Malefor." Bergan stated. "And Zevron too, I presume."

The Black dragon didn't say a word. Malefor, however, slowly stepped forwards.

"Things did not go quite as planned in the city of Glenhaven." He said.

"I see..." Bergan replied. "It's such a shame that Amouris and Adpetis are deceased again; They were quite useful."

Malefor flinched in surprise.

"You know?" He asked.

"Of course I know." Bergan answered. The Golden-maned dragon turned around to face the other dragon.

"I also know that you made an offer to my daughter to betray me, and that your son has kidnapped her hatchling in an attempt to force her into servitude.. What is his name? Denzel, I believe."

Malefor and Zevron had looks of alarm and incredulousness in their eyes.

"Impossible!" The Black dragon shouted. "How can you know all this!"

Bergan chuckled.

"I've always known. Just about everything that's happened, I have known about in advance for years."

"Lies!" Malefor sneered.

"I've known that Runileon was going to be killed by Zevron, and that Adpetis caught you in your act of betrayal and intended to blackmail you."

"How do you know these things?" The other Purple dragon demanded.

"It's a funny thing, being a Purple dragon born and raised by Time dragons: You're taught the ability to predict the future."

"What?" Zevron asked.

"When I learned the ability, I used it at every opportunity I found, and learned to do the exact right thing at the right time to alter the future to one in my favor. Nobody can get the upperhand on me, because I know what hand they're going to play before they even see it themselves."

"So, you're the world's biggest cheater." The Black dragon snarled.

"Call me what you will, Zevron: I doesn't change the fact that I used my talents to their fullest to reach the position I'm in today."

"If you knew that I was planning to betray you," Malefor questioned, "Then why did you work to revive me in the first place? Or the other Victiumirti, for that matter?"

Bergan sighed.

"If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's getting involved in acts of violence and confrontations. I knew that Urobos and Elenar would try to stop me when they discovered my ambitions. So, I decided a long time ago to enlist the aid in the most powerful dragons that The Nothing ever corrupted. With the six of you acting to destroy the world, that provided as a distraction so that I could work to bring The Nothing into the Dragon Realms."

The Golden-maned dragon pointed a talon at the air.

"And now, the time has finally come! BEHOLD!"

Malefor and Zevron looked up in the air, and gasped in surprise.

The Palace and The Nexus slowly started to break apart, piece by piece. The many chunks of brick, stone, metal and wood proceeded to float around in a massive orbit around the two floating buildings as they were reduced to nothing.

As all of this happened, a great, Purple aura started to glow around each individual chunk of debris. Each aura grew larger and larger, until they all became connected to each other. Once there was now a single, Giant aura, all of the bits of debris started to disintegrate into more Purple energy.

A giant, Purple circle of energy now hung in the sky above the Pit of the Fallen.

"What is that?" Malefor demanded.

"That is a portal to the Realm of Convexity, where half of The Nothing's energy lies, in the form of the realm's namesake." Bergan answered. "And now, for the other portal."

The Golden-maned dragon summoned a Black-and-White aura around his uplifted foreleg. He then turned around, and blasted a Black-and-White orb into the Pit.

At first, nothing else happened. But then, the great Green light vanished from existance, only to be replaced by a Black-and-White one.

As the new, bizarre Light shined into the night sky, the ground of the platform started to shake. Malefor and Zevron nearly lost their balance, but Bergan stood perfectly still.

"What are you doing now?" The Black dragon demanded.

"The other half of The Nothing's power lies in the Underworld, in the form of Nothingness." The Golden-maned dragon replied. "When the two forms of energy combine here, our Creator will finally achieve manifestation!"

Malefor turned towards Zevron, quick as a flash.

"Stop him!" He roared. "Use your power and cripple this wretch! NOW!"

"I'm afraid that the element of Blood does not affect me." Bergan stated, grinning again. "You will find that my power greatly outranks Zevron's."

Malefor snarled.

"Then I will kill you myself." He growled.

"You would try to fight me, even though you know that I can see your every move coming before you think of it?" Bergan asked.

"I will not allow you to steal away my ultimate goal in life."

Began sighed again. He turned his gaze towards Richard.

"You had best flee." He adviced. "Things are about to become unecessarily violent."

"As you wish, sir."

The Dragonfly immediately fled up into the air, making his way out of the Crater.

In the meantime, the Golden-maned dragon removed his Black cloak, tossing it onto the platform floor a short distance away. As he did this, Malefor charged up his energy and prepared to attack.

"You will die this day, Bergan." The Victiumirtus sneered.

"No, my friend." The other Purple dragon replied. "It will be you."

With that said, the two Purple dragons attacked each other.

...

The night had finally begun.

All of the citizens had evacuated the Glenhaven. Dragon, Cat and Mole alike had been organized by the Guardians and the Deep Shadows and had left via the southern wall of the city. Each and every one of them had brought along the essential supplies that was believed to be needed.

As they left, they were led by Mimet, The Guardians, the Deep Shadows, and Anthony.

When the Fire dragon learned that Flame had revealed that he knew the Stronghold's location, he was at first enraged. But then, Mimet declared that Anthony would be allowed to walk free again if he agreed to lead the way to Dante's Holocaust. Seeing no reason to disagree, the Fire dragon begrudgingly accepted the offer.

As the citizens of Glenhaven left the city, a group of dragons stayed behind.

Urobos, Spyro, Cynder, Elza, Grail, Tyrrany, Flame, Tina and Cyrus stood before the remains of the Glenhaven Palace.

The young Black dragon was completely shocked.

A while ago, Urobos explained to him and Tina that not only was Cyrus molested during his Corruption, but the dragoness who did the deed had produced an egg. Cyrus was the father of an illegitimate egg.

The young Black dragon held the egg in his forepaws.

"H... How could this happen?" He demanded. "How could I wind up with THIS thing?"

"Take it easy, your highness." Elza said.

"'Take it easy'?" Grail snapped. "Our prince has been VIOLATED by one of those she-beasts! That egg serves only as a physical reminder of that fact! I say we destroy it!"

"NO!" Tyrrany Shouted. "It's not the egg's fault that it's the product of depravity!"

"And how would **you** be an authority on the matter?" The Dark Grey dragon queried.

The White dragoness became nervous.

"Because.. uh..."

Flame draped one of his wings over Tyrrany.

"It's alright, Anny." He said soothingly. "Just let it go."

Grail scoffed.

"So, you violated that boy." He said flatly. "That's trait that you share with your father."

"It would be wise for you to stop insulting my granddaughter, Grail." Urobos sneered.

"This is falling off topic." Spyro declared. "What are we going to do about this egg?"

"As Tyrrany said, it's not the unhatched child's fault that it came into existance the way it did." Elza stated. "It would be unfair to destroy it."

"But what else should be done?" Cyrs demanded. "There's no way I could possibly take care of this thing! I'm only seventeen!"

"That's how old I was when Denzel came to be." Tyrrany responded. "I felt the same as you do now, at first, but then I realized that I couldn't toss him away: After growing up believing that our mother had done the same thing to me, the idea was completely distasteful to me. So, I decided to raise Denzel, and grew to love him as my child."

"Things are different for me, Hope." Cyrus snapped. "I'm not capable of raising a child."

"You're not alone, you know." Tina said.

"Huh?"

"Don't get me wrong: I'm just as shocked as you are that you have an egg now. But, I'd be more than happy to help you look after it when it hatches, and I'm sure the others here would help too."

"That's right, Cyrus." Urobos added. "If you need help to be a good father, you can always come to me for advice."

The young Black dragon looked down at the ground.

"I... I don't know..."

"We'll have to save this conversation for a later date." Cynder stated. "We must be leaving for the Pit of the Fallen immediately."

"I want to go with you guys." Cyrus replied. "I want to teach that Bergan punk a lesson!"

"Are you sure, Cyrus?" Spyro asked.

"What if Bergan corrupts you again?" Elza added.

"He won't." Tina declared. "Not if I'm there to protect Cyrus's mind."

"So, you wish to come as well..." Urobos said. "As you wish."

The Aged Black dragon turned towards Elza.

"I want you to look after the egg while we're gone." He commanded. "Make sure it stays in a safe place."

"Yes, your highness." The Dark Green dragoness replied.

Elza carefully took the egg from Cyrus and took off for flight, following after the crowd of civilians. In the meantime, Grail bowed his head before the older dragons.

"May the Ancestors guide you all to victory." He declared.

The Grey dragon then took off after Elza.

"Well then, with no further discussions left..." Spyro said.

"... Let us be off." Cynder finished.

The seven dragons gathered closer together. Urobos, Tyrrany and Cyrus combined their Space elements, and teleported the entire group towards the Pit of the Fallen.

...

Rune and Nellie appeared in a flash of light. Upon looking around, they found themselves standing before the base of a massive Crater.

The sky was almost pitch-black, with no stars visible anywhere. A massive Black-and-White geyser of light was bursting out of the Crater. The light was met by a giant Purple pool of energy that hung weightlessly in the sky. A great swarm of Corrupted dragons circled around in the air, constantly on patrol for invaders. Luckily, none of them seemed to spot the two young dragons.

Rune faced towards the crater, inhaling a deep breath.

"Are you sure you want to come with me, Nellie?" He asked. "I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

The dragoness placed a paw on top of one of Rune's.

"Positive." She said, smiling. "There's no way I'm leaving you."

"But, it's going to be extremely dangerous."

"I don't care. As long as I'm with you, I'll feel safe."

Rune smiled at the dragoness.

"If you say so.."

The two young dragons looked up at the crater. Nervously, The Black dragon started stepping forwards, his wings spread for flight.

"Let's go."

Nellie sighed.

"Alright..."

The two dragons lifted off into the air and flew towards the crater's opening, dodging around Corrupted dragons before they could be spotted.

...

Malefor was slammed against a side wall of the Platform and crumpled to the floor.

As he climbed back onto his feet, Bergan came charging forwards, preparing to strike with another blast of Convexity. The other Purple dragon immediately unleashed a blast of Convexity fire, while the Golden-maned one instantly appeared to his side and unleashed a Convexity Blast, striking Malefor across the torso and sending him sprawling.

"Pathetic." Bergan sneered.

As the battle continued, it was perfectly clear that Bergan outranked Malefor. The Golden-maned dragon knew each and every one of Malefor's upcoming attacks, and dodged around it perfectly. And when Bergan attacked, his strikes came swiftly and brutally.

Zevron wished to jump into the fight to aid his father, but Malefor made it clear that he was to keep the hatchling under watch. Denzel had been woken up by the many great blasts of magic, and began to cry in fear. Zevron, however, threatened to kill the Purple hatchling if he made too much of a racket.

As Malefor fought his uphill battle against Bergan, a small portal of Purple energy started forming on one of the side walls, off to the far left of the Platform. Out of the portal, came a young, Black-hided dragon with a large hole in his chest.

Runefor.

The dead-yet-living dragon watched the battle from high above, waiting to see who would emerge victorious. He grinned.

"It won't be long now..." He said, chuckling quietly to himself.

Bergan unleashed another blast of Convexity, and Malefor was sent flying backwards, crashing down near the exit from the Platform.

"Father!" Zevron exclaimed, shocked.

As Malefor slowly got back onto his feet. Several of his bones were broken, and he was covered in bruises from being smacked around for so long, but he used his Convexity energy to heal himself.

Bergan laughed.

"Give it up, Malefor." He declared, smiling. "You can't win."

The other Purple dragon seethed with rage.

"I'm not about to allow you to bring this Nothing into the Dragon Realms!" He growled.

"So, you still think you can stop me, do you?" Bergan queried. "You never learn, do you. I've already one, Malefor: I've seen it come to be. There's not a single person, place or event that's taken place that I haven't seen coming."

"Nonsense!" The other Purple dragon snapped. "There is one whom you've never been able to predict!"

Bergan's eyes flared with anger momentarily.

"Excuse me?"

Malefor started walking slowly towards Bergan.

"You are not nearly as all-powerful as you claim. If you are able to forsee the future, then how come you didn't expect to be double-crossed by that Rune louse?"

The Golden-maned dragon flared with rage once again. The other Purple dragon grinned.

"The Reason you wanted him eliminated is because he proved to be a chaotic thorn in your side. You can't predict his actions, can you? He's your living and breathing weakness."

Far up in the air, Runefor chuckled to himself again.

_**Just listen to Big Purple and Ugly ramble on...**_

Down below, Bergan snarled.

"Slander me all you want." He said coldly. "Soon, The Nothing will destroy this world, along with you, Zevron, and that Rune child."

Suddenly, someone shouted out to the dragons.

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

A short moment later, a great cloud of Black smoke filled the center of the platform, surprising the other dragons. Once the cloud dissipated, seven dragons stood in the center of the Plaform: Three Aged dragons and four young dragons.

It was Urobos, Spyro, Cynder, Tyrrany, Flame, Cyrus and Tina.

When the cloud vanished, the younger dragons immediately adopted battle stances, while the Aged dragon glared at the two Victiumirti. Bergan and Malefor glared back.

All the while, Runefor watched from his hiding place above the Platform, sneering.

_**All of THEM are here? Figures...**_

Tyrrany snarled at Bergan, while the Golden-maned dragon smiled warmly.

"Ah, Tyrrany." He said, feigning happiness. "Welcome back, dear."

"Don't you DARE call me that name!" The White dragoness roared.

Cyrus and Flame took several steps forwards, both boys snarling.

"I've got a Bone to pick with you, Bergan!" The Black dragon growled.

"As do I!" Flame added. Bergan frowned.

"Oh, is that so...?"

Zevron made an attempt to escape via a portal of energy, but Malefor yelled at him.

"YIELD, BOY!" He demanded.

Spyro, Cynder and Urobos turned their attention towards Zevron, who stopped and glared back.

When Tyrrany saw Zevron holding the frightened Denzel in his grip, she exploded into rage.

"RELEASE MY SON!" She roared, teeth bared.

"Give the dragoness her son, boy." Malefor commanded.

Zevron, sneering, stepped forwards and haphazardly handed the crying hatchling over to Tyrrany. The White dragoness immediately cradled the boy, trying her best to calm her down.

"Ah, so you care for young Denzel, do you Tyrrany?" Bergan asked, grinning. "You didn't toss his egg away, like your mother did to you."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Flame roared. "A Lie that YOU clouded her mind with for years, you son of a bitch!"

"My, my, Flame. You're awefully defensive of the girl, considering she molested you."

The Red dragon flinched in surprise.

"How do you...?"

"It doesn't matter." Cynder declared.

"He's trying to play mind games again in an attempt to weaken our spirits." Urobos added.

"My, aren't WE clever!" Bergan declared, smiling again.

"Enough nonsensical banter!" Spyro roared.

The Aged Purple dragon began charging his magic, as did Urobos, Cynder, and the younger dragons. Tyrrany, however, continued trying to calm down her hatchling.

"Bergan," Spyro began, "You have committed unspeakable and incalculable crimes against the Dragon Realms and the creatures who dwell in it. The time has come to put a stop to your madness and banish you, and Malefor as well, to the deepest pits of the Underworld!"

Malefor and the Golden-maned dragon began charging their energies as well.

"Once I kill you all, Bergan falls next!" The former Purple dragon declared.

"Idoiocracy." Bergan declared. "You cannot defeat me."

High up in the air, Runefor readied his Convexity energy to teleport.

_**But I can!...**_

Spyro, Cynder and Urobos all unleashed their magical attacks upon the Victiumirti: Spyro attacking with Convergence, Cynder attacking with Concurrence, and Urobos attacking with Convexity, though it was strenuous. Malefor and Bergan countered with Convexity beams of their own.

Both sides of the attacks flew at each other at full speed, ready to collide with full force...

However, just before any of the attacks struck, a massive wall of Purple Flames appeared, blocking Bergan and Malefor from the other dragons.

Before any of the dragons could react, Runefor appeared in a cloud of Purple smoke off to the leftside of the Platform, standing just before the great Black-and-White light.

Cynder and the others gasped in surprise upon seeing him.

"Is that Rune?" Tina shouted.

"No!" Cynder declared. "It's the monster who stole his body!"

Bergan and Malefor eyed the dead-yet-living dragon, the former with disdain and the latter with disgust.

"What are YOU doing here?" Malefor demanded.

"I'm here to put a stop to all you meddling assholes once and for all." Runefor sneered.

"You're the meddler here." Bergan snapped. "The biggest one of all, in fact."

Runefor proceeded to walk forwards towards the two Purple dragons. Malefor growled at the younger dragon as he approached.

"Do you think you can defeat me?" He sneered.

"Not like this, no." Runefor replied. "Although... I do plan on getting a new body soon."

The dead-yet-living dragon turned his gaze towards Bergan, grinning. The Golden-maned dragon grimaced.

"Why are you looking at me in such a way?" He demanded.

A moment later, Runefor spread his wings for flight and summoned his gold-bladed sword into his forepaw.

"Let's cut to the chase." He chided.

In an instant, the dead-yet-living dragon vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Bergan and the others looked around for Runefor, waiting for him to reappear.

"Show yourself!" Cynder demanded.

Before anyone else could say anything, however, a great rumbling filled the air. The ground beneath the dragons shook wildly, sending all but Bergan and Malefor to the floor.

"What madness?" Spyro shouted.

As the other dragons tried to get on their feet again, the Black-and-White Light suddenly grew far more rapid and sporadic. At the same time, the Purple portal in the air began to grow wider, and became a massive hole, out of which flowed a great amount of Convexity energy, all of it hurtling down towards the Pit of the Fallen.

Bergan began laughing triumphantly.

"It's begun!" He proclaimed. "In a few moments, The Nothing will be summoned!"

"NO!" Urobos protested.

"YES!" Bergan replied gleefully"And its Will shall be enacted, now and forever!"

"Is that so?" Came Runefor's voice out of nowhere.

Suddenly, the dead-yet-living dragon appeared in the air a few feet above the Bergan, sword at the ready. Tina and the other younger dragons gasped in surprise, but that came too late for the Bergan to react in time.

Runefor brought his sword down quick as a flash, impaling Bergan's back just between the wing-joints. As he roared in pain and alarm, the dead-yet-living dragon crashed down on his back and gripped the sword hilt in both forepaws.

"Your body is MINE!" He declared.

Runefor's body glowed with a Deep Purple aura, as did his eyes.

"GET OFF ME!" Bergan roared angrilly.

All the other dragons watched in horror as Bergan desperately tried to toss the younger dragon off od himself, shaking wildly and attempting to use his Time element. As this happened, Runefor's energy started flowing out of his body, and into the Golden-maned dragon.

"By the Ancestors..." Flame stated, nearly at a loss for words.

After only a moment, the Bergan crashed to the floor, his eyes shut and his back stained with blood. However, he was not dead; He was still breathing. In the meantime, every last bit of Runefor's energy had left his body. Almost immediately afterwards, Runefor's body let go of the sword and fell to the floor, completely lifeless.

"What's happened?" Malefor demanded.

"Is he dead?" Cyrus asked.

It wasn't long until the young dragon got his answer.

The Golden-maned dragon stood up on all fours, his eyes shut tight and as if nothing were wrong.

Malefor sneered.

"So, you still live, Bergan..." He said with contempt.

The Golden-maned dragon chuckled, reaching behind himself to grab hold of the sword still rammed into his back. As he did this, he opened his eyes, and everyone else gasped.

Bergan's Irises were Blood Red, as was normal, but the rest of his eyes were completely Pitch Black in color.

When he spoke, he had multiple voices speaking at once.

"Bergan isn't here."

"So, it's Runefor then." Spyro stated.

"Not quite." The Golden-maned dragon replied. "I'm not Runefor anymore. I'm bigger, badder, and far more powerful than ever before. Therefore, I shall go by the name... Runexios!"

As he said these words, the Platform began to shake even harder.

Behind the Evil dragon, the Convexity energy started merging with the Black-and-white light. Parts of the Crater walls were starting to collapse and fall into the Pit mouth. And then, a great, incoherent presence started filling the platform, sending chills down most of the other dragons' spines.

Denzel started crying even harder.

"Calm down, little one." Tyrrany said soothingly to the hatchling, despite the great fear growing within her.

"What's happening?" Cyrus shouted. Runexios scoffed.

"You were told before, idiot: The Nothing is coming into the Dragon Realms."

Malefor snarled at the Demonic dragon.

"Not if I have any say in this matter!" He sneered.

"You don't." Runexios replied.

Instantly, the Demonic dragon teleported right in front of Malefor and drove his talons into his chest, sending pain coursing through Malefor's being.

As this happened, something strange occured; the scales on Malefor's paws started changing from Purple to Black, and the backspikes along his back started dissolving into nothing.

Malefor gasped in alarm as he slowly lost control of his body.

"What is this?" He demanded.

"I've gotten pretty sick of you, Mally." Runexios sneered. "At least you're still useful in one regard: as a fuelsource."

Bit by bit, Malefor's body changed back to that of Bane's. the Purple dragon struggled as much as he could to reverse the process, but it was in vain.

"FATHER!" Zevron shouted in horror. He ran forwards and attempted to hijack Runexios's body with his Blood element to save Malefor.

"Shut up!" Runexios roared.

The Demonic dragon sent part of the flames of the wall of Purple Fire towards Zevron to silence him. The younger dragon attempted to dodge out of the way, but his right hind leg was hit. He crashed to the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.

"That'll teach you not to interfere!" Runexios sneered.

Soon, all that remained of Malefor's control over Bane's body were his Demonic yellow eyes, which were filled with a mixture of fear and hatred.

"Damn...you..."

With that said, Malefor shut his eyes, which became Bane's once again.

Runexios laughed gleefully.

"With **that** pest out of the way..." The Demonic dragon waved his free paw, and the Wall of Flames dissipated into nothing. He then ossed Bane's body off to the side, close to Zevron.

"Dad...?" Cyrus asked, shocked.

"Bane!" Urobos shouted.

"Would anyone else care to try and stop me?" Runefor chided.

Spyro managed to get back onto his feet and stepped forwards, snarling.

"Ah, Spyro." Runexios chided. "Of course..."

"Whatever name you go by.." The Aged Purple dragon stated, "It doesn't change the fact that you're a blight on the dragon race, just like Malefor was."

"No..." The Demonic Dragon replied. "I'm his superior. And yours as well."

At this time, Cynder and Urobos managed to right themselves, but the younger dragons and Zevron were still struggling.

"You're completely beyond saving at this point..." Urobos stated.

"This isn't Rune, Urobos." Cynder replied. "The real Rune is dead."

"Rune or not, he must die as well!" Spyro shouted.

"Stop talking and FIGHT!" Runexios snarled.

Immediately, Spyro lunged forwards, unleashing a Convexity beam at Runexios.

The Demonic dragon didn't do anything to counter it; he only stood perfectly still, a malevolent grin on his face.

When the beam came close to striking Runexios's chest, something strange happened; The attack suddenly changed directions in midair, instead hurtling upwards towards the gigantic mass of energy in the Pit. Once it stuck the mass, the beam dissolved instantly.

Runexios laughed, while Spyro snarled.

"What madness?" He shouted.

"Did I forget to mention that your magic attacks will inevitably be absorbed into The Nothing's power?" Runexios asked smugly. "Oh, how stupid of me..."

"Then I'll tear you to pieces!" Spyro roared.

The Aged Purple dragon charged forwards, using his Time element to strike instantaneously.

"Spyro, no!" Cynder warned.

But it was too late.

Just before Spyro's talons could slice through Runexios's neck, the Demonic dragon teleported to the side and struck the other dragon across the side, faster than anyone could blink.

As Spyro howled in pain, Runexios proceeded to unleash a barrage of slashes acoss the Aged dragon's body, using the Time element to move at nigh-impossible speed.

Immediately, Urobos and Cynder charged forwards to aid Spyro, the former using his own Time element to engage Runexios at the same speeds while the latter tried to pull Spyro away.

As Urobos and Runexios engaged in a flurry of slashes and bites unseen, Cyrus finally managed to get back onto his feet.

"We've gotta help them!" He shouted, pulling Tina upright. The young Black dragon then glanced over at Tyrrany. "Hey! Get back up!"

The White dragoness was curled up on the ground nearby, holding Denzel close to her, who was still crying miserably.

"What?" She shouted.

"You have the Time element, right?" Cyrus asked. "I need you to help me help grandfather!"

"But I can't leave Denzel alone!" Tyrrany protested. "He needs me!"

"I'm scared, Mommy!" The hatchling wailed.

"Anny, Den, calm down!" Flame shouted, crawling over to them.

"Anny, I'll protect Denzel. You should go help Urobos and Cynder."

The White dragoness looked into Flame's eyes.

"Protect him with your life, Flame." She said, half pleading.

"Of course I will." He replied.

Tyrrany looked down at Denzel.

"Be good for your Daddy, okay?" She asked him.

"Okay..." Denzel answered, sniffling. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, little one."

The Fire dragon scooped the hatchling into his forelegs, while Tyrrany managed to stand back up and walk over to Cyrus, fearful tears in her eyes.

"Let's go!" He shouted.

"Yeah..." The dragoness replied.

With that said, Cyrus and Tyrrany used their respective Time elements and charged forwards, preparing to attack Runexios.

...

Rune flew up to the very edge of the Crater, Nellie following close behind.

A few moments ago, the giant Purple mass of energy in the sky started pouring massive amounts of energy down into the Pit, and the entire area was shaking violently.

Both young dragons were filled with dread.

"Do you think Bergan's succeeded already?" Rune asked.

"I'm not sure.." Nellie replied. "But it's best not to assume the worst from the start, Rune."

"If you say so..."

The two young dragons reached the edge of the Crater and turned downwards to fly inside. When Rune saw the platform below, he gasped in surprise.

Flame, Tina, Spyro, Cynder, and that Zevron character were all in the Pit. The unconscious form of Bane was lying near Malefor's son, and the sounds of a struggle between seemingly invisible dragons filled the area. Flame was holding Denzel tightly, Tina was standing a short distance from the Fire dragon, and Cynder was dragging a bloodied-up Spyro away from the edge of the Plaform.

Rune came to a landing on the right side of the Platform, across from the others. Nellie came to a landing next to the young Black dragon a short moment later, struggling not to topple over from the violent shaking of the ground beneath her.

"What's going on?" Nellie shouted. "Why are you all here?"

When the other dragons spotted Rune and Nellie, they gasped in surprise, as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Rune and Nellie?" Tina shouted, amazed. "You're alive?"

"Yes..." Rune replied, not sure how to respond.

"But how? Flame demanded. "Lady Cynder said you two were killed by some Demon who stole your body, Rune!"

Before either Rune or Nellie could explain, Urobos immediately appeared out of nowhere, flew across the air at rapid speed, crashed into the far wall, and fell to the ground.

"GRANDFATHER!" Rune shouted, running up to him.

"Rune...?" Urobos asked, struggling to get back up.

Before the young Black dragon could do anything else, Cyrus came flying overhead and crashed into the wall, a short distance from Urobos.

"Ow..." He moaned.

On the other side of the Platform, a large, Purple dragon who looked like Bergan was clutching Tyrrany by the throat, choking her.

"You really shouldn't have tried to defy me, you stupid little bitch." The Purple dragon sneered.

The White dragoness struggled to free herself, to no avail.

"ANNY!" Flame shouted in horror.

"STOP!" Rune roared.

The Purple dragon flinched at the sound of Rune's voice.

"It can't be!" He exclaimed, turning to face the other dragons.

When the dragon saw Rune, he flew into a rage.

"YOU AGAIN?" He snarled. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

The young Black dragon walked forwards, partially startled at the sound of the dragon's voice.

"Runefor?" He asked. "You're..."

"I don't go by that name anymore." He growled. "I've become far more than just a White dragon. Call me Runexios."

Rune growled.

"Whatever you are, let Hope go!" He demanded.

The Demonic dragon chuckled.

"Fine."

Within a fraction of a second, Runexios tossed the White dragoness through the air at Rune. Tyrrany smacked into her brother with enough force to send both of them crashing to the ground.

"NO!" Nellie exclaimed.

As the Water dragoness ran to Rune and Tyrrany's aid, Runexios burst into laughter.

"She's alive too?" He chided. "Bah, it doesn't matter! She was always a pathetic little twat from the beginning!"

Immediately, Rune shot up onto all fours and snarled.

"SHUT UP!" He yelled. The Demonic dragon chuckled again.

"Oh! Acting all tough again?" He asked.

"I'm sick of you!" Rune shouted angrilly. "You've killed counltess beings, Dragon and Nondragon alike! You've caused grief for my friends and family! And to top it all off, you've held me prisoner inside my own body, and forced me to watch as you horribly violated Nellie!"

The young Black dragon's body began emitting a feint Black aura, though Runexios's face was unfazed.

"Things are finally diffferent now! I'm no longer forced to share my body and soul with a monstrosity! I can finally get rid of you! I'll never forgive you for the things you've done, Runefor! NEVER!""

The Demonic dragon laughed.

"Nice little speech, idiot." He chided. "It's a shame you've overestimated your own power, and underestimated my own.."

Runexios spread his wings and lifted up into the air. He then immediately floated backwards, entering the gigantic mass of energy.

All of the other dragons became confused.

"What are you doing?" Cynder demanded.

The energy started flowing allover Runexios's body, covering his scales and changing their color. Instead of a solid Purple, his scales became a strange, ethereal combination of Black, Purple and White, as did his mane.

"BEHOLD, you pieces of shit!" He declared. "As an Avatar of The Nothing, its power is now MINE!"

The Demonic dragon created a Barrier of Tri-colored energy around himself. The Barrier glowed a Great, Tri-colored light, which completely hid Runexios from view.

"With this power, I can bend the fabric of Time and Space itself!"

"Impossible!" Tina shouted.

"That's what YOU think!"

The sphere of Light started growing larger and larger.

As this happened, most of the dragons on the platform suddenly found an invisible force slowly pushing them towards the edge. They all struggled to fight back against the force, but it was in vain.

"Unbelievable!" Spyro exclaimed.

"What's happening?" Cyrus exclaimed.

On the other side of the platform, Denzel was crying as hard as ever.

"Make it stop, Daddy!" He begged, eyes red from tears.

Flame didn't know what to say to his son; He feared the worst.

The only dragon who wasn't affected as strongly was Zevron, who used the last reserves of the Convexity energy his father had given him to create a portal underneath himself.

_Damn him..._

Soon, the Light of the Barrier grew to immense size. And then, the light exploded outwards in all directions, engulfing almost all of the dragons.

When the light faded, the dragons were gone. And then, almost immediately afterwards, the entire crater collapsed inwards, uncluding the Plaform. The land just around the Crater began to crack, letting the Tri-colored energy spill free and onto the world's crust.

The destruction of the Dragon Realms had begun.

...

**I can't believe how long it's taking me to write these chapters. My original superhuman speed is gone. I'm sad.**

**Anyway, bad shit's going down now! Where did all of the dragons go? What's happened to Runefor (Now called Runexios)? Will the citizens of Glenhaven make it to Dante's Holocaust in time? Keep reading the story to find out.**

**Tenebra ecce Veritas.**


	31. Ending

The world exploded and everyone died.

The End.


End file.
